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Objectives: To determine the prevalence of smoking in the male population of Hammam Sousse (Tunisia), to describe its modalities and to analyse its determining factors., Methods: This was a "community-based" study, carried out on a random sample of households, including a population of males aged 20 or over. The data were collected, at home, using a specific support consisting of a lifestyle questionnaire, a physical examination, and a biological assessment, oriented towards cardiovascular risk factors. Smoking behaviour covered both forms of cigarettes and Narghile. "Current smokers" included all men declaring that they smoked at the time of the survey, including "regular smokers", who smoked daily at the time of the survey, and "occasional smokers", less than once a day. The group of "non-smokers" at the time of the survey was the sum of "ex-smokers" and those "who had never smoked". The prevalences were calculated after their weighting according to age and the adjusted odds ratios were measured following a multivariate study by logistic regression., Results: The study population was composed of 481 men with an average age of 49.6±16.35 years and a median of 49 years. Mean body mass index and systolic blood pressure were 26.9 kg/m2 ±4.20 and 151.9 mmHg±24.36, respectively. After adjusting for age, the proportions of current users, former users and subjects who had never used tobacco (all forms combined) were respectively 50.4% (95% CI [49.49-51.3]), 17.4% (95% CI [16.71-18.08]) and 30.9% (95% CI [30.06-31.73]). Daily cigarette consumption was characterized by an average onset at age 20.1±6.91 years, an average duration of 27.0±15.22 years and an average amount of 17.6±9.8 cigarettes smoked per day. After adjusting for age, level of education, and socioeconomic level, smoking behaviour was attributed to a single independent risk factor: the presence of a smoker in the family, with an adjusted OR of 45.17 (p (p<10 -3 ) for regular cigarette smokers, and 29.66 for regular tobacco users of all forms., Conclusion: Smoking would be a real endemic in Tunisia, threatening the cardiovascular health of the country. The national health system is called upon to strengthen its action plan for the prevention and control of smoking, in all living environments: family, school, work, health centre, etc.

Aim: Measure the functional autonomy of elderly people and identify its components and determinants in the HSHS (Hammam-Sousse Sahloul Heart Study) population (phase 2009, Tunisia)., Methods: This study was concerned with the quality of life of elderly people aged 65 years or more, living at home from the HSHS cohort divided into two groups: young-old (65-74 years old) and old-old (≥75 years old). The autonomy was assessed using the "Activities of Daily Living" (ADL) scale ranging from 0 to 6, the "Instrumental Activities of Daily Living" (IADL) scale ranging from 0 to 8 and, the combined scale ranging from zero to 14, iso-weighted at one point per activity. Autonomy in daily activities was retained for an ADL score=6, and an IADL score (F=8; H=5). Subjects with an overall score (sum of ADL and IADL) of 10-14 points were considered globally autonomous., Results: The population study was predominantly female (sex-ratio=0,6) with an important proportion of old-old (M=43%, F=37%). Autonomy rates were by ADL (M=57.4%, F=36.1%, p < 10-2), IADL (M=16%, F=23.9%), and by combined score (M=60.6%, F=69%, p=NS). The typology of dependency was dominated by transferring (M=35%, F=61%) and bathing (M=14%, F=19%) for ADL activities, and shopping (M=36%, F=49%) and the use of means of transport (M=22%, F=43%) for IADL activities. After adjustment, autonomy in daily activities was attributed to two independent factors: male sex (ORa=3.98, CI95% [1.328-11.971]) and age group 65-75 (ORa=4.04, CI95% [2.039- 8.025]). Autonomy in instrumental activities was associated with age group (ORa=31.5, CI95% [4.087-233.514]). Finally, overall autonomy (current and instrumental) was associated independently after logistic regression, with four independent factors, two of which were not modifiable: being female (ORa=3.1, CI95% [1.2-8.1]) and 65 to 75 years (ORa=6.2, CI95% [3.1-12.3]) and two modifiable factors: no recent hospitalization (ORa=3.8, CI95% [1.4-10.4]) and a sufficient level of physical activity (ORa=2.6, CI95% [1.3-5.3])., Conclusion: The physical dependency rate of the elderly is very high in Tunisia. The promotion of physical activity, the extension of similar studies and the development of could improve the support of these people.

Introduction: Internal Medicine is an essential component of the clinical platform of regional hospitals (relay between district hospitals and reference university hospitals)., Objective: To describe the morbidity diagnosed at Medicine department of the regional hospital of Msaken (Sousse, Tunisia), taken as a tracer of intermediate hospitals., Methods: This descriptive study covered all of the patients hospitalized, during the year 2015, in the Internal Medicine department of the Msaken regional hospital. The data were disseminated through a "Minimum Clinical Summary". Morbidity was classified according to ICD-10. Hospital readmission was tested with reference to <28 days., Results: A total of 594 patients were hospitalized in Internal Medicine, with a sex ratio of 0.95 and a median age of 67 years [54-78]. "Diseases of the respiratory system" were the first category of diagnosed morbidity (58%), dominated by acute bronchitis, followed by "endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases" in women (including insulin-dependent diabetes) and category of infectious diseases in men (including erysipelas). The former patients of the service (49%) were twice as numerous among people ≥60 years old (57% vs 30% in those under 60 years). The readmission rate was 19% (29% for men versus 8% for women). The mean length of stay was 7 ± 5.7 days. The transfer rates and hospital mortality were 11.3% and 1.2%, respectively., Conclusion: The morbidity diagnosed at the Internal Medicine department of the Msaken regional hospital was dominated by the triad: acute bronchitis, diabetes mellitus and erysipelas, particularly in the elderly. Hence the need to strengthen the training of future family doctors in pulmonology, diabetology and infectious diseases.

"Prevention", a component of primary health care since Alma Ata's declaration (1978), has been a strategic axis of health policy in Tunisia for four decades. If the Tunisian Revolutionary Constitution (2014) declared in its Article 38 that "the State guarantees prevention", the regulatory texts, organizing preventive structures and its operational programs, have today become ill-suited with the global burden of disease and current scientific evidence. The analysis of current preventive practices in Tunisia, based on the "health continuum", the taxonomy of "preventive strategies" and the identification of "vulnerable populations", has shown the need to implement prevention activities. "Primordial" and "quaternary" (for the management of cardiovascular diseases and cancers), extension of the fields of health education and epidemiological surveillance, towards Therapeutic Education of Patients / Health Promotion, and health monitoring, and coverage of new groups at risk: adolescents and the elderly. Faced with the multitude of prevention structures and the fragmentation of health programs, the reform of the national preventive policy and its practices should be based on the principles of integration, relevance and efficiency, through the establishment of a National Health Protection Agency (NHPA). This ANP is called upon to launch new prevention support projects including integrated preventive medicine centers (providing periodic health examinations), hospital patient therapeutic education services and home care units. Such a reform, announcing the birth of a new generation of preventive basic health care activities in Tunisia, should be reinforced by a legal, organizational and educational basis.

Introduction: Pediatric services are tracer services for the assessment of the integration and performance of the national health system., Objectives: Describe the typology of morbidity notified to the Pediatrics department of the Msaken regional hospital (Sousse, Tunisia) and the flow of its patients., Methods: This is a descriptive and exhaustive study, covering all the patients hospitalized in the pediatric ward of Msaken, during the year 2015. The data were collected through medical files and medical registers. admission, based on the Minimum Clinical Summary (RCM) form. The notified diagnoses were coded according to the WHO ICD-10 classification. The main diagnosis was defined by the major pathology that led to the hospitalization. Early readmission was retained before 28 days., Results: A total of 521 children were hospitalized, with a sex ratio of 1.04 and a mean age of 2 ± 3 years; 70% of the patients came from the administrative center of the governorate and 62% were infants (age

Objective: To identify standards and quality indicators of hip fracture management from the medical literature., Methods: We conducted a "systematic review" on the topic of quality indicators of hip fracture management using PubMed database, during 15 years from 2001 to 2015. The collected publications were studied by two readers to extract the different quality indicators of hip fracture management. These indicators were stratified according to their type (process or outcome) and to the time of health care (pre, per or post-operative)., Results: A total of 41 articles were included in the study: The analysis of these articles highlighted a predominance of Anglo-Saxon papers, an increasing rate of publication over time, a dominance of evaluative studies and a multiplicity of guidelines. A total of 46 quality indicators were identified through these articles. Two third were classified as procedural items and 60% were about post-operative hip fracture management. The most assessed indicators and standards, among those related to the preoperative care, were time to surgery (34%) and patient clinical condition assessment (11%). During the operation time, the most assessed indicator was the proportion of patients who have had spinal anesthesia (73%). For the postoperative care, the most common  indicators and standards were length of hospital stay (12%), osteoporosis treatment prescription (8%), mattresses use to prevent pressure ulcer (7%), pressure sores occurring (7%) and in hospital mortality (7%)., Conclusion: This systematic review allowed to identify the main indicators recommended to evaluate the management of hip fracture. The continuous monitoring of these indicators should be generalized in maghrebian countries using strategic dashboards in all hospitals and clinics treating this pathology.

Background: Determining the performance level of hemodialysis facilities, including an evaluation of biological tests, is a prerequisite for quality assessment of these healthcare structures., Objective: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the compliance and adequacy of biological tests performed in 2014 in Center-East Tunisia hemodialysis units., Methods: Data were collected using an analysis grid for 15 biological indicators including 11 process items and four results items used to determine the compliance and adequacy rates respectively., Results: This study included 660 hemodialysis patients (sex ratio 1.16; mean age 53.9±15.32 years). A low level of compliance was noted for several biological tests (blood glucose: 0.8%; hemoglobin 34.5%). The rate of adequacy of the biological results was insufficient, especially for anemia (32.7%) and calcium-phosphorus surveillance (41.8%). Intercenter and inter-region variability was noted, both for compliance and for adequacy of biological tests., Conclusion: This study demonstrated low compliance of biological tests performed for hemodialysis patients and the non-adequacy of the results obtained. It is thus urgent to institute a quality management system for biological tests performed in hemodialysis units., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Despite the wealth of knowledge on hospital performance, the majority of health facilities in the Maghreb don't have yet a Balanced Scorecard for its measurement., Objective: Elaborate, through a systematic review of the biomedical literature, a Balanced Scorecard for hospital performance, consisting of indicators of quality of care, highly recommended and suitable for the professional and managerial contexts of Greater Maghreb health systems., Materials and Methods:   This is a "systematic review" study on the topic of indicators to measure hospital performance. A documentary query combining the "Mesh Major Topic" for the two following descriptors "hospitals" and "health quality indicators", has been applied to the "Medline" database over a period of ten years (2004-2013). A focus group composed of clinicians, managers and representatives of civil society, was formed for the selection of a Balanced Scorecard of health facilities in Maghreb, composed of 20 systemic indicators., Results: An in-depth reading of 166 articles included in the study identified 926 quality of care assessment indicators. It is in one of three cases "systemic" indicators applicable to multi-purpose health facilities, and in one case of two, it is"process"indicators focused on a health care activity. Following the work of the focus group, a Balanced Scorecard for hospital performance was developed in a consensual manner. Among these indicators, 18 explored the "care" dimension (average length of stay, bed occupancy rates, turnover beds rates, occupational blood exposure rates, unplanned admission rates, discharge rates, prolonged admissions rates, antibiotic prescription rates, mortality rates, health care-associated infection rates, readmission rates, pressure ulcer rates, patient / staff ratio, staff turnover rates, maintenance of medical records, time sending of the report of hospitalization, staff burnout rates, patients' satisfaction rates), and two indicators were related to training functions and research (number of hours of staff training, publication rates)., Conclusion: The use, by health care facilities, of this Balanced Scorecard, based on the current data from the literature and adapted to the specific professional context of Greater Maghreb, would be a preliminary condition for the start-up of a strategy to measure and improve hospital performance in the Maghreb countries.

Context: Following the Tunisian revolution of 2010/2011, a new Public Health literature emerged, by the ministerial departments as well as the civil society, which was marked by the transparency and the comprehensiveness of the approach., Objective: To identify the key ideas of the new Tunisian Public Health discourse, reconciling the principles of a globalizing paradigm with the health problems of a country in transition., Methods: During this qualitative research, a selected series of three Tunisian reports of Public Health, published in the first quinquennium of the revolution, was read by an independent team of experts in Public Health, not having contributed to their elaboration, to identify the consensual foundations of the new Public Health discourse. These documents were: the "2011 Health Map" of the Department of Studies and Planning of the Ministry of Health, the "Societal Dialogue Report on Health Policies, Strategies and Plans" (2014), and the "Report on the right to health in Tunisia" (2016)., Results: The reading of this sample of the Tunisian Public Health literature of the post-revolution brought out three consensual ideas: 1. The constitutional principle of the "right to health" (article 38 of the constitution) with its corollary the State's obligation to ensure access to comprehensive, quality and secure care; 2. The challenge of social "inequalities" of access to care, reinforced by a regional disparity in the distribution of resources, particularly high-tech (specialist doctors, university structures); 3. Advocacy for a National Health System, based on a universal health coverage for its funding and citizen participation in its governance., Conclusion: The new Tunisian Public Health literature, in post-revolution, calls on all stakeholders in Preventive and Community Medicine to replace their segmental, technical and hospital practices with a new approach, centered on the implementation of a National Health System that is based on a socialized financing of care and citizen participation in its management.

Introduction: Patient satisfaction is one of the most commonly used indicators in healthcare service quality evaluation. The aim of the study was to measure overall and specific patient satisfaction rates and to identify determinants of satisfactionin Sahloul University hospital during 2015 and 2016., Methods: This is a cross-sectional study which included a random sample of patients hospitalized in Sahloul University Hospital between 2015 and 2016. The survey was conducted through an original self-administered questionnaire. Four specific dimensions of satisfaction were explored: administrative, technical, logistic and relational. Overall and specific satisfaction rates were calculated and then patient satisfaction associated factors were identified through a multivariate analysis using a logistic regression model., Results: A total of 1897 patients were included in the study with a mean age of 42.4 years (SD =20.5 years) and a sex ratio of 0.94.Overall patient satisfaction rate was about 67%. Items of satisfaction concerned mainly the relational dimension: the respect of the patient intimacy and the quality of information given. Those of dissatisfaction were mainly logistic: The physical environment in the hospital room, the cleanliness of toilets and waiting times.Determinants of patient satisfaction were mainly related to the quality of access and reception, the accommodation conditions, the technical care, the quality of information and the respect of patient intimacy., Conclusion: This study is a pioneering action to measure the quality of care in Tunisia. It highlighted the causes of patient dissatisfaction at Sahloul University Hospital. Appropriate measures to correct these deficiencies should be undertaken.

Context: As part of its strategy of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Tunisia has calculated, after its revolution, its Health Accounts (HA), in a standardized and interdepartmental way., Objectives: Describe the current structure of care financing in Tunisia, through the HA reports, from 2012 to 2014, and assess its compliance with the principles of socialization of health insurance., Methods: Crude data on health care expenditures were collected by a multi-departmental group that is responsible for calculating health accounts, using a methodology developed by WHO. On the basis of these data, a dozen of indicators that serve to monitor the financing of care, were determined, especially the proportion of public care expenditure (state and insurance), the proportion of direct payments of households in total care expenditure. and the share of expenses of the National Diseases Insurance Fund (CNAM) in the private sector., Results: During the 2012-2014 trienniums, the total health expenditure represented 7% of GDP. Public expenditure on health care did not exceed 57% of the total health expenditure, which is 4% of GDP. Households paid directly, from their pockets, 39% of current care expenditures. About half of the expenses of the CNAM, was released for the reimbursement of consultations, explorations and hospitalizations in private clinics and medical needs (drugs and medical material) in private pharmacies., Conclusion: The financing of the post-revolution care system in Tunisia was characterized by a dangerous triad for its survival, performance and equity: excessive spending compared to the country's growth, a very high contribution of households exceeding the cutoff of "catastrophic" spending, and a marked shift in the social policy of the CNAM, in favor of the private sector. This profile, proof of low socialization of healthcare financing, would be a limiting factor in the implementation of the CSU strategy in Tunisia.

Background: The privileged recourse to CT-scan prescription in our current medical practice engender massive request which can alter not only the stability of the operating budgets of the public hospitals but also the clinical and managerial performance of these medical-technical departments., Aim: To audit the quality of CT-scan delivery in radiology Department at University Hospital of Sahloul in 2013., Methods: Five quality indicators for the CT scan delivery were measured, three of which refer to period of time: A (deposit), B (perform CT-Scan) and C (final report recovery), and two evaluating the conformity of the radiological documents of the CT scan (request form and radiological report) using two grids composed of 12 iso-weighted items (one point), and was found satisfactory beyond 10 points., Results: A total of 1141 CT scan request forms were included in the study which 1 111 (97%) were from Sahloul hospital departments and particularly from urology (16,2 %). Filling of CT- scan application form was conform only in 25.6 % of cases. For outpatient clinics the means (±SD) of period of time (in days) were: A: 0.2± 1.8. B: 59± 24.6. C: 14±9.2. D: 69.9±30.3 and E: 70± 30.1 versus A: 0.2± 1.8; B: 4.4± 3.9; C: 4.7 ± 6.5; D: 7.9± 8.6 and E: 8± 8.8 for hospital departments. Final reports were satisfactory in 87% and 52% of cases respectively in outpatient clinics and emergency., Conclusion: The performance of the CT scan examination, at Sahloul University Hospital, was limited mainly by excessive times of its realization and unsatisfactory quality of the final reports, hence there is a need of a radiology information system.

Plerixafor in combination with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) is approved for autologous stem cell mobilization in poor mobilizing patients with multiple myeloma or malignant lymphoma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate efficacy and safety of plerixafor in an immediate rescue approach, administrated subsequently to G-CSF alone or chemotherapy and G-CSF in patients at risk for mobilization failure. Eighty-five patients mobilized with G-CSF alone or chemotherapy were included. Primary endpoint was the efficacy of the immediate rescue approach of plerixafor to achieve ≥2.0 × 10 6 CD34 + cells/kg for a single or ≥5 × 10 6 CD34 + cells/kg for a double transplantation and potential differences between G-CSF and chemotherapy-based mobilization. Secondary objectives included comparison of stem cell graft composition including CD34 + cell and lymphocyte subsets with regard to the mobilization regimen applied. No significant adverse events were recorded. A median 3.9-fold increase in CD34 + cells following plerixafor was observed, resulting in 97% patients achieving at least ≥2 × 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg. Significantly more differentiated granulocyte and monocyte forming myeloid progenitors were collected after chemomobilization whereas more CD19 + and natural killer cells were collected after G-CSF. Fifty-two patients underwent transplantation showing rapid and durable engraftment, irrespectively of the stem cell mobilization regimen used. The addition of plerixafor in an immediate rescue model is efficient and safe after both, G-CSF and chemomobilization and results in extremely high success rates. Whether the differences in graft composition have a clinical impact on engraftment kinetics, immunologic recovery, and graft durability have to be analysed in larger prospective studies., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Data on the clinical course of lupus anticoagulant (LA)-positive individuals with or without thrombotic manifestations or pregnancy complications are limited. To investigate mortality rates and factors that might influence mortality, we conducted a prospective observational study of LA-positive individuals. In total, 151 patients (82% female) were followed for a median of 8.2 years; 30 of the patients (20%) developed 32 thromboembolic events (15 arterial and 17 venous events) and 20 patients (13%) died. In univariable analysis, new onset of thrombosis (hazard ratio [HR] = 8.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.46-22.16) was associated with adverse survival. Thrombosis remained a strong adverse prognostic factor after multivariable adjustment for age and hypertension (HR = 5.95; 95% CI, 2.43-14.95). Concomitant autoimmune diseases, anticoagulant treatment at baseline, or positivity for anticardiolipin- or anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies were not associated with mortality. In a relative survival analysis, our cohort of LA positives showed a persistently worse survival in comparison with an age-, sex-, and study-inclusion-year-matched Austrian reference population. The cumulative relative survival was 95.0% (95% CI, 88.5-98.8) after 5 years and 87.7% (95% CI, 76.3-95.6) after 10 years. We conclude that occurrence of a thrombotic event is associated with higher mortality in patients with LA. Consequently, the prevention of thromboembolic events in LA positives might improve survival., (© 2015 by The American Society of Hematology.)

Introduction: Thromboembolism is a common manifestation of lupus anticoagulant (LA), however only a subgroup of LA-patients is affected by thrombosis. Study objective was to investigate whether anti-prothrombin antibodies can identify LA-patients at increased risk for thrombosis., Materials and Methods: In total 79 patients, 50 with (42 men/8 women) and 29 without thrombosis (21 men/8 women), were investigated for their presence of anti-prothrombin IgG and IgM antibodies using assays from two different manufacturers (Aeskulisa=assay I, CoaChrom=assay II)., Results: The prevalence of elevated levels of anti-prothrombin IgG, IgM as well as IgG and/or IgM antibodies was 66% [assayI] (36% [assayII]), 38% (24%) and 72% (50%) in patients with thrombosis and 55% (24%), 28% (28%) and 66% (41%) in patients without thrombosis, respectively. Neither anti-prothrombin IgG or IgM nor IgG and/or IgM antibodies were found to indicate an increased risk for thrombosis. In the subgroup of patients with arterial or venous thrombosis there was also no association between anti-prothrombin antibodies and thrombosis. The comparison of median levels of IgG and IgM anti-prothrombin antibodies between patients with and without thrombosis yielded a borderline statistically significant difference only for anti-prothrombin IgG antibodies by using assay II (p=0.033), all other comparisons were not statistically significant., Conclusions: In conclusion, presence of anti-prothrombin antibodies was not associated with thromboembolism in LA-patients.

The presence of lupus anticoagulant (LA) predisposes to fetal loss and to venous and arterial thrombosis; however, a subgroup of women is unaffected by pregnancy loss. Currently, no predictive markers are available for the identification of women positive for LA at increased risk for pregnancy loss. It was the aim of our study to investigate whether increased anti-beta2-GPI-antibodies predict pregnancy loss in women positive for LA. We performed a cross-sectional study in a cohort of 39 women with persistent LA, who had in total 111 pregnancies. Fifteen women had exclusively normal pregnancies (30 pregnancies) and 24 women had pregnancy losses (81 pregnancies). Anti-beta2-GPI-antibodies were determined using a semiquantitative enzyme linked immunoassay (QUANTA Lite beta2 GPI IgG and IgM; Inova Diagnostics). Increased levels of anti-beta2-GPI antibodies were significantly associated with pregnancy loss [odds ratio (OR) 9.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-56.4]. This risk was even higher in the subgroup of women (n = 16) with more than two miscarriages or fetal loss after the first trimester [OR 13.1, 95% CI 1.4-126.3]. There was no significant association between anticardiolipin antibodies and pregnancy loss [OR 3.5, 95% CI 0.7-17.6]. The co-existence of anti-beta2-GPI and anticardiolipin antibodies was also predictive for pregnancy loss [OR 6.1, 95% CI 1.3-29.7]. Interestingly, the prevalence of thrombosis was similar between women with normal pregnancy (87%) and those with pregnancy loss (75%). We conclude that increased levels of anti-beta2-GPI antibodies are predictive for pregnancy loss among women positive for LA, and that prophylactic treatment should be considered in these women even without a history of previous pregnancy loss.

There is a clear propensity of individuals with lupus anticoagulant (LA) for thromboembolic disease (TE). Yet, it is not clear how individuals at risk for TE can be differentiated from those who are not. The Fc gammaRIIa receptor is the only Fc receptor expressed by platelets. As platelets can be activated via this receptor, we have compared gene frequencies of the Fc gammaRIIa polymorphism R/H131 in 46 and 27 patients with (LA/TE+) and without TE (LA/TE-), respectively, in an exploratory study. Furthermore, we investigated the presence of autoantibodies against Fc gammaRIIa and/or GPIb alpha, which is in close proximity to the Fc gammaRIIa and interacts with it functionally, and a possible linkage of antibody formation to HLA class II alleles. The Fc gammaRIIa-R/R131 genotype was significantly less frequent in patients with LA compared to controls (p<0.025). These findings were due to an increased frequency of heterozygous patients in the LA/TE+ cohort (odds ratio 6.76, 95% confidence interval 1.55-62.03, p<0.008). For the first time, heterozygosity, rather than homozygosity, can be linked to disease, which may be explained by the dual function of the Fc gammaRIIa, namely binding of antibodies to platelets and thereby their activation, and, on the other hand, clearance of antibody coated platelets by the phagocyte system. There was no correlation between the presence of anti-Fc gammaRIIa or anti-GPIb alpha autoantibodies and the Fc gammaRIIa-R/H131 polymorphism, nor the incidence of TE, nor HLA class II alleles.

A total of 130 consecutive patients with severe autoimmune thrombocytopenia (AITP) who were diagnosed and treated in our institution between 1991 and 2001 were followed up. The patients were almost exclusively treated with prednisolone, immunoglobulin and/or splenectomy. The aim of the treatment was to keep the platelet count at least above 10,000 microL. None of the patients died from bleeding, two patients died from infection and seven from other unrelated causes. These data show that AITP is a relatively benign disease that does not require aggressive treatment. Bleeding can be prevented if the platelet count can be kept above 10,000 microL.