Efficacy of phytotherapy as nutritional supplements in patients with refractory immune thrombocytopenia

Abstract

Introduction: The management of refractory immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is challenging and difficult. The treatment was mainly comprised of cytotoxic and immunosuppressed drugs that rarely lead to long-term remission but potentially cause severe and dangerous side effects. Our current study is a retrospective clinical analysis of refractory ITP patients who underwent phytotherapy as nutritional supplements. Methods: A retrospective clinical analysis of 15 refractory immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients aged 12–64 with ITP history for more than 24 months before the enrollments. All patients presented with low platelet count (< 30 × 109/L) and moderate to severe bleeding symptoms such as extensive petechiae, bruising, epistaxis, prolonged menses, rectal bleeding, and hematuria. The patients underwent supportive phytotherapy as nutritional supplements using herbal extracts with hemostatic, immunomodulating, and platelet function augmenting functions Results: The 6-month retrospective clinical evaluation indicated that phytotherapy might offer an effective and safe solution for controlling bleeding symptoms and improving platelet counts for refractory ITP patients. Moreover, phytotherapy also significantly improved patients' red cell count, hemoglobulin, and liver enzyme levels compared to baseline data. Conclusions: In individual cases and economically disadvantaged regions, investigating and applying an appropriate combination of phytotherapy based on scientific knowledge and traditional folk medical experiences might offer an effective, inexpensive, and safe solution for refractory ITP and other bleeding disorders.

Keywords

• ITP
• Thrombocytopenia
• Phytotherapy
• Nutritional supplements
• Herbal medicine
• Bleeding disorders