China News Service, Beijing, September 25 (Reporter Li Yanan) ITP is a common acquired autoimmune bleeding disease.

Experts point out that patients with ITP often suffer from serious reductions in their quality of life due to factors such as high bleeding risk, unpredictability of disease outcome, and fear of disease. Standardized treatment can help patients improve their quality of life.

　　The International Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) Disease Week is set between September 21 and September 27 each year.

In 2010, in order to help people with diseases whose blood flow would not stop due to bumps and frictions, The Platelet Disorder Support Association initiated this activity to increase public awareness of ITP, and to care for and support ITP patients.

The theme of the 2020 International ITP Disease Week is "Fearless of ITP shackles, gather new forces for freedom".

　　It is understood that ITP is a common acquired autoimmune bleeding disease, accounting for about 1/3 of the total number of bleeding diseases.

At present, among Chinese adults, the incidence of ITP is 5-10/100,000, and the incidence of women of childbearing age is higher than that of men of the same age, and the elderly over 60 years old are the high-risk population of the disease; among children, the incidence of ITP is About 4-5/10 million.

　　"The main pathogenesis of immune thrombocytopenia is due to the body's loss of immune tolerance to self-antigens, resulting in excessive immune-mediated platelet destruction and limited platelet production, resulting in a decrease in platelet count. Patients often have bleeding dysfunction and clinical manifestations Skin and mucosal bleeding are the main ones. Since the severity of bleeding in patients is negatively correlated with platelet count, when the platelets are lower than 30×10 to the 9th power/L, the patient’s condition becomes more critical and will cause visceral bleeding Such as gastrointestinal bleeding, intracranial hemorrhage, etc., endanger the life and health of patients." said Professor Zhang Xiaohui, deputy director of the Institute of Hematology, Peking University People’s Hospital and deputy director of the National Clinical Research Center for Hematology.

　　Zhang Xiaohui pointed out, “But ITP does not bleed without bumps. 9.6% of patients face severe bleeding. Therefore, ITP patients often suffer from high bleeding risk, unpredictable disease outcome, fear of disease, and long-term treatment. , Social activities, reduced work, and other factors have led to a serious decline in the quality of life, even lower than that of cancer patients."

　　During the epidemic, in response to the difficulties faced by ITP patients when they went to the hospital to get medicines, a photo contest involving hundreds of patients attracted attention from the outside world. More than a thousand works showed the status quo of patients living with the disease.

Meng Tongfei, founder of ITP Home-Platelet House, sponsor of China Platelet Day, and head of Bethune Volunteer Management Center, said: "I hope that this event will not only popularize knowledge about blood diseases to the public, but also change patients' perception of ITP. The recognition that ITP will not become a “tightening curse” in patients’ lives. As long as they receive standardized treatment, patients can benefit and improve their quality of life."

　　According to reports, the current clinical treatment of ITP mostly uses first-line treatment programs such as glucocorticoids and intravenous injection of large doses of gamma globulin.

In recent years, with the in-depth understanding of ITP disease and the advancement of innovative drug research, the emergence of thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonists has provided new treatment options for ITP patients.

　　Zhang Xiaohui said that in 2019, related drugs were included in the scope of Category B of the National Medical Insurance Catalog, which greatly reduced the financial burden of patients and further improved the accessibility and availability of innovative drugs to patients.

　　In addition, Zhang Xiaohui said that for the vast majority of ITP patients, ITP is like hypertension, a chronic disease with a long treatment cycle.

At present, although innovative drugs have entered the national medical insurance, which has reduced the financial burden of patients to a certain extent, most of these drugs are reimbursed for hospitalization, and about 90% of ITP patients only need to receive long-term treatment in outpatient clinics.

"In view of this clinical situation, I recommend that ITP medications be included in the coverage of outpatient special diseases or outpatient chronic disease reimbursement coverage. This will benefit at least two-thirds of ITP patients, avoid waste of medical resources, and reduce hospitalization rates. Improve the quality of life of patients." Zhang Xiaohui said.

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