Sick all the time

I was diagnosed about a year ago and have been tracking and watching numbers and jumping through medical hoops ever since. I know I'm lucky, my counts run around 107 or 108. Not low enough to cause panic, or even treatment, but low enough to watch carefully.

Here's my question: I've had 4 different respiratory viruses since September. I've missed many weeks of work (and that means many weeks with no paycheck). Should I be concerned that the ITP is affecting my immune system? My blood work shows no problem with my immune system, but this being sick all the time is getting old! I have a Dr. appointment on the 19th and I need to know what to ask.

Thanks!

It may not be that ITP is affecting your immune system but rather the other way around. A deficient immune system often seems to cause autoimmune disorders and ITP is the most common. I have recently been diagnosed with an immune deficiency too so I have done some research. There are a good few different disorders listed here primaryimmune.org/about-primary-immunodeficiency-diseases/types-of-pidd . The first one listed, CVID, is the most common and will give you an idea of what it's all about.

You might want to ask for your immunoglobulins to be tested as a first step. It's a simple blood test, measuring IgG, IgA and IgM. There are more detailed tests, measuring the subclasses of IgG but that would be done later probably by a clinical immunologist who you could see.

Treatment if deemed necessary is immunoglobulins either monthly intravenously as the IVIG we know and love given for ITP, or subcutaneously that you can do at home weekly. My IgG is not low enough to treat as yet although we are watching it and I am taking antibiotics three times a week as a prophylactic.

Let us know how you get on.

As Ann said, ITP doesn't affect the immune system. I had ITP for many years and never got sick, not even the yearly cold or two that I usually got. I have been sick a lot this year though, like you, with respiratory illnesses. Bronchitis twice and pneumonia once and they lasted months. I thought it was due to the immunosuppressants I was on and spoke to one of my doctors about it. She said that this has been a really bad year and many of her patients have been sick with the same things.

You could ask for the tests that Ann suggested and if nothing turns up, it's probably just due to exposure to germs. One good thing - you're lucky your counts didn't go down with the illnesses. That seems to happen to a lot of people.

Thank you both for responding so quickly! I'll ask about the immuno globulin tests (I think that's the one test they HAVEN'T run...)

I have had Itp for 8 years and have been totally healthy most of the time but have had periods where I get sick and can't seem to stay well for months. I dont think it has to do with itp but just catching what is going around and like Sandi said it has been a very bad year for resp. Illness.

Dru

You might ask if a Thyroid test had been included in your battery of tests. I was constantly catching every thing until I was diagnosed and since then have only had minor sniffles once we got my levels within low normal.