An autoimmune disorder - immune thrombocytopenia - is characterized by low platelet counts and increased bleeding tendency. The development of autoantibodies against megakaryocytes and platelets, together with cell-mediated immu-nity, are linked to the disease’s development. Clinically, immune thrombocytopenia is typified by bleeding into the skin and the mucous membranes, which can appear as purpura, petechiae, haematomas, bleeding from mucosal membranes, and other types of haemorrhage. Since a timely and precise diagnosis is necessary for appropriate treatment, and since there is currently no specific diagnostic laboratory test marker, the diagnosis is frequently established by excluding other possible causes for isolated thrombocytopenia. The laboratory measurement of platelet autoantibodies in the patient’s blood can be a useful aid in the diagnostics of immune thrombocytopenia, for which numerous techniques exist. The man-uscript covers immunohaematological techniques for identifying and characterizing platelet autoantibodies as well as the practical applications of these assays.
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