Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part F (2025)

Background: Steroids are considered the first-line treatment for primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). While it has been reported that 60 to 80% of patients achieve an initial response to steroids, only 30 to 50% maintain a sustained response after discontinuation.

Objective: To determine the frequency of sustained remission of immune thrombocytopenia in adults treated with steroids at a secondary care hospital.

Methods: An analytical, observational, longitudinal, single-center, retrospective study was conducted at the Hospital General de Zona No. 20 "La Margarita" in Puebla, Mexico. The study included adult patients (male and female) treated between October 2023 and March 2024. Sampling was non-probabilistic by convenience. Clinical data were collected from medical records, and results were analyzed using descriptive statistics with SPSS v30.0.

Results: Thirty-eight patients were evaluated. The majority were female (68.4%), and the most frequent age range was 61 to 80 years, with a mean age of 68 years (range 20–88). An initial response to steroid treatment was achieved by 71.1% of patients; of these, 68.4% required at least 12 weeks to achieve it. However, only 47.4% achieved a complete remission sustained for six months.

Conclusion: Less than half of the patients achieved sustained complete remission. Individualized management is required for those who do not respond adequately or relapse after steroid discontinuation, considering second-line therapeutic options.