Success of Helicobacter pylori Eradication Therapy and Long Lasting Platelet Recovery in an Iranian Patient with Severe Immune Thrombocytopenia

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative spirochete that usually affects the gastric mucosa and has a prevalence of more than 50% of people worldwide. It has been revealed that Helicobacter pylori infection is not only associated with chronic gastritis and peptic ulcers, but also with some hematologic disorders such as immune thrombocytopenia, iron deficiency anemia and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. Immune thrombocytopenia is an acquired autoimmune disorder with low platelet count due to devastation of autoantibody-coated platelets.

In the present study, it was reported an Iranian patient with severe immune thrombocytopenia (platelet count 1×109/L) and Helicobacter pylori infection who achieved a long lasting platelet recovery after Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy. The patient was followed up for two years and no failure in platelet response was observed.

Accordingly, Helicobacter pylori treatment is not only useful in immune thrombocytopenia patients with mild and moderate thrombocytopenia but also may be beneficial in severe cases of immune thrombocytopenia.