Dear Mike,

 

My son's hematologist and I have long suspected that dental issues are a trigger for my son's drops in platelet count. He is 14 and his platelets almost always drop when he loses a baby tooth. I think it has to do with the associated inflammation or low grade infection (my son also has autoimmune neutropenia). His ITP flared when he lost his first round of baby teeth between 5 and 6 years old, he went into remission for 4 years, and then it flared again when he was 10 (and started to lose teeth again) and has been an issue since (he just lost his last molar a couple of months ago, but now he has a new adult molar coming in).  I have posted to the list about this in the past because we are now faced with the decision of whether or not to let him get braces (he really could use them). Tough decision.

 

When I saw the hematologist last week she told me that at the ASH conference this year there was a poster about dental issues as a trigger for ITP. I will ask her for the abstract and will post it to the list when I get it.

 

We don't feel this is his only trigger (sinus infections and viral illnesses are others) but it is definitely something worth following.

Susan A.