Abstract
Ten children with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura were treated with high-dose vitamin C (800-3, 000 mg/day). Three cases achieved an increment of platelet of more than 50, 000/μl while seven out of ten failed to demonstrate any increment. And all the patients treated with high-dose vitamin C showed an improvement of clinical hemorrhagic symptoms and signs. Five cases who showed no clinical improvement with high-dose vitamin C were treated with cepharanthin (30 to 50 mg/day), a derivative of plant alkaloid, in addition to vitamin C. Three cases out of five showed an increment of platelet of more than 30, 000/μl within one to three months since the administration of cepharanthin had started. No adverse reaction was observed in the patients treated with cepharanthin while only limited gastrointestinal symptoms were noted in several patients treated with vitamin C. We consider both vitamin C and cepharanthin are useful in the treatment of children with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.
