Primary Thrombocytopenic Purpura and Acquired Hemolytic Anemia

MANY EXPLANATIONS have been advanced for the low thrombocyte (platelet) count in primary or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, but so far all theories lack substantial proof. The disease is somewhat commoner in females and occurs more frequently in the first half of life, although it has been seen in persons of all age groups. A familial history of easy bruising and prolonged bleeding is frequently mentioned in case histories, but few hematological data are offered to support the supposition that thrombocytopenia has occurred in other members of the family. Reports of transitory thrombocytopenia in infants of women with thrombocytopenic purpura are of particular interest, since these cases suggest that an agent producing the thrombocytopenia is transmissible through the placenta.¹Both increased destruction and decreased formation of thrombocytes have been advanced as causes of primary thrombocytopenia. Since there is no technic comparable to the reticulocyte count for estimating the rate of