Have you seen more than one doctor?
Did you get a second opinion?
Have you had a bone marrow test?

Many people who are diagnosed with I.T.P. will often work with their doctor to rule out several other diseases that have very similar symptoms.  These include Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), Aplastic Anemia, Von Willibrand's Disease, Blackfan Diamond Anemia and several other platelet destroying diseases.*

Click below for additional information on each:

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia information?

Myelodysplastic Syndromes information?

Aplastic Anemia information?

Von Willibrand's Disease information?

Blackfan Diamond Anemia information?

What is Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia?

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, or CLL, is a type of cancer that affects the bone marrow and lymph system. It is most common among adults over age 60. Leukemia patients have an excessive number of white blood cells called lymphocytes-cells usually responsible for fighting infections. However, the abnormal lymphocytes of a leukemia patient cannot prevent infection as effectively as healthy white blood cells can. In addition, because they appear in large numbers in the blood, the abnormal white blood cells lower production of red blood cells, which are responsible for delivering oxygen to the body, and platelets, which are responsible for blood clotting. In Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, the excess number of white blood cells is not usually due to overproduction but to the fact that the affected lymphocytes have an abnormally long life span.*

What are the causes of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia?

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia does appear to have a hereditary component, because family members of leukemia patients are three times more likely to develop the disease. Also, CLL is far more common in people over sixty, so age appears to be a factor in its development. In addition, many types of leukemia have been linked to benzene exposure. If you have transported benzene, gasoline, or worked in the petroleum or petro-chemical industries, you may want to research the possibility of a benzene link.

What are the symptoms of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia?

In its early stages, CLL may not present recognizable symptoms. As the disease progresses, the lymph nodes, spleen, or liver may swell. In addition, people with leukemia may experience persistent fatigue and small cuts or injuries may bleed excessively. During later stages of the disease, the number of red blood cells and platelets in the body drops. Other symptoms include: fever, headache, bruising easily, frequent infection, pain, and weight loss.*

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are diseases of the blood cells. Some Myelodysplastic Syndromes have only a mild to moderate impact on a person's life and are not progressive. Myelodysplastic leukemia, however, is a slowly developing blood cell-related cancer that is usually terminal. MDS occurs when the blood-forming cells in the bone marrow produce cells that do not mature properly, leading to low counts of healthy red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in the blood. Myelodysplastic syndromes may be manifest in different degrees of severity, from mild anemia to acute myelogenous leukemia. MDS most often affects people over the age of fifty.  A common and often successful treatment for severe MDS is a bone marrow transplant.*

What is Aplastic Anemia?

Aplastic anemia occurs when the bone marrow's blood-forming cells stop producing new blood cells. The decrease in red blood cell production means that too few red blood cells are present in the blood stream-a condition known as anemia. Red blood cells are responsible for delivering oxygen to the body's tissues, so severe anemia can be very serious. In addition, Aplastic Anemia results in lowered immune system defense due to a decrease in the number of white blood cells and a tendency for excessive bleeding because of the lowered number of platelets.

The main difference between MDS and Aplastic Anemia is that in MDS, the bone marrow produces abnormal or immature blood cells that do not function properly, whereas in Aplastic Anemia the marrow stops producing new blood cells entirely. In addition, MDS is more common among older people, while Aplastic Anemia often affects the young.*

Von Willibrand's Disease

Von Willibrand's disease is the most common bleeding disorder, affecting about 1% of all people. People with VWD take longer to stop bleeding than is normal. Symptoms include frequent nosebleeds, easy bruising, and in women, long/heavy menstrual periods (over 6 days).*

Von Willibrand's disease (VWD) is a genetic disorder that is associated with a low Von Willibrand protein level. Von Willibrand protein (or factor, VWF) is the glue that holds together the proteins and cells (platelets) in your blood that form a blood clot. People with VWD have a mutation in their VWF gene, their DNA. Other people have been found to have a low VWF level without having a mutation in their VWF gene. People with blood type O, for instance, may have a low VWF level but don't carry an inherited genetic mutation.*

Blackfan Diamond Anemia

What is Diamond Blackfan Anemia? In Blackfan Diamond (or Diamond Blackfan) Anemia the body's bone marrow produces little or no red blood cells. A person is born with it.  Its cause is unknown, although a genetic error on Chromosome 19 is associated with about 25% of cases. In about 10-0% of cases, there is a family history of the disorder.*  

What are the symptoms? Blackfan Diamond Anemia can be difficult to identify. In about one-third of children born with the disorder there are physical defects such as hand deformities or heart defects, but a clear set of signs hasn't been identified. The symptoms may also vary greatly, from very mild to severe and life-threatening. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body, so a child with blackfan Diamond may have symptoms related to not enough blood oxygen (anemia): pallor (paleness) irregular heartbeat, due to the heart trying to keep oxygen moving throughout the body fatigue, irritability, and fainting.*

How is Diamond Blackfan Anemia diagnosed?

Blackfan Diamond anemia is usually diagnosed within the first two years of life, sometimes even at birth, based on symptoms. For example, a baby might be suspected of having anemia if he or she is always pale and gets short of breath when drinking a bottle or nursing. Parents often suspect there is "something wrong" with their child. The diagnosis of Blackfan Diamond anemia in particular might not be recognized right away, though, because the disorder is rare and not all physicians are familiar with it. A blood test for the baby would show a very low number of red blood cells, as well as low hemoglobin and high adenosine deaminase activity (ADA). A sample (biopsy) of the baby's bone marrow would show that few new red blood cells were being created.*