Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: a 15-year natural history study at the Children's Hospital Rijeka, Croatia.

We review a 15-year experience with childhood idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) at a tertiary-care pediatric hospital in Croatia. Data confirm that ITP is typically a self-limited bleeding disorder that usually presents with mild symptoms in children between 1 and 10 years of age and affects both sexes equally. At presentation, more than half of the children had platelet counts of <10x10(9)/L. The absence of preceding viral infection and insidious onset of symptoms were significantly associated with development of chronic ITP. In our experience, observation without specific therapy seems to be the optimal approach to a child with ITP.