Eltrombopag remains a prominent option in the treatment of steroid-dependent or steroid-refractory Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients. Unfortunately, a group of patients did not respond to eltrombopag. Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) positivity can be seen up to 30 % in ITP patients. Despite being widely used, markers to show the response for eltrombopag are lacking and needed. In the present study, we aimed to show the association between ANA positivity and eltrombopag response in ITP patients.
Patients who were diagnosed with ITP at Trakya University Faculty of Medicine Hematology and who received eltrombopag treatment due to their resistance to steroids and other treatments were included in our study. ANA measurement was made with indirect fluorescent antibody and titers of 1:160 and above were considered positive and ANA measurement was made before starting eltrombopag.
Forty-five patients were included in our study. 33 were female and 12 were male. The mean age of the patients was 45, 73. Years. There were 14 patients with ANA positivity and 31 patients found to be ANA negative. Response rates were higher in ANA negative patients compared to ANA positive patients in the first and sixth months of the eltrombopag treatment (p < 0, 05).
ANA positivity in ITP may indicate unresponsiveness to eltrombopag treatment, and this should be supported by prospective studies involving more patients.

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