Thrombocytopenia etiology

Small-molecule, nonpeptide thrombopoietin receptor agonists for oral use are being developed as a treatment for thrombocytopenia of various etiologies. 

Gonzales MF, Elmore J, Luebbert C. Evidence for immune etiology in clozapine-induced thrombocytopenia of 40 months duration a case report. CNS Spectr 2000 5 17-8. 

Thrombocytopenia is a relatively common feature in both acute and chronic liver disease and is proportional to the extent of liver disease. The etiology of thrombocytopenia in liver disease is multifactorial, but involves primarily hypersplenism with pooling of platelets, immune-mediated destruction, and the inability of the bone marrow to compensate for the accelerated removal. The bone marrow depression may be related to alcohol, drugs, and nutritional deficiencies associated with the cirrhotic process. ... 

For unknown reasons, platelets are targeted by drug-induced antibodies much more often than red cells, neutrophils, or hematopoietic stem cells. The etiology of drug-induced immtme thrombocytopenia is complex in that, in addition to the three mechanisms described above for DIHA, at least three other distinct pathologic entities have been identified. Each of these will be briefly discussed here. 

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