Plasma Thrombopoietin Is Increased in Aplastic Anemia and Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Plasma thrombopoietin (TPO) concentration was significantly higher in patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) compared with healthy controls, and plasma TPO was negatively correlated with peripheral blood platelet counts and bone marrow megakaryocytes counts (P<.05), according to a report in Global Medical Genetics.

Researchers, co-led by Mengying Zhang of the Tianjin Medical University General Hospital in Tianjin, China, and Gaochao Zhang, of the Capital Medical University in Beijing, China, used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure the plasma TPO concentration of 31 patients with AA, 27 patients with MDS, and 11 normal controls and evaluated its impact on response to recombined human TPO (rhTPO) treatment.

Plasma Thrombopoietin May Predict rhTPO Response

The median patient age was 39 years (range, 8-67 years) in the AA group, 54 years (range, 28-75 years) in the MDS group, and 29 years (range, 14-56 years) in the control group. The AA group had 14 patients treated with antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporine-based immunosuppressive therapy in addition to rhTPO. The MDS group was stratified into low-, intermediate-1-, intermediate-2-, and high-risk subgroups according to International Prognostic Scoring System criteria.

The median concentration of plasma TPO was 841.08 ± 768.64 pg/mL in patients with AA, 212.41 ± 338.93 pg/mL in patients with MDS, and 35.09 ± 18.21 pg/mL in normal controls. Median platelet counts were 24 ± 19 × 10⁹/L, 80 ± 71 × 10⁹/L, and 184 ± 34 × 10⁹/L in the AA, MDS, and control groups, respectively.

Authors noted the TPO concentration in AA and MDS was statistically significantly higher than in controls (P<.05). Additionally, in patients with AA treated with rhTPO, increased platelet counts had a negative correlation with pretreatment TPO concentration (P<.05). Overall, investigators suggested that “the pretreatment TPO level may serve as a prognostic indicator for the therapeutic effect of rhTPO in AA patients.”

Reference

Zhang M, Zhang G, Xu F, et al. Identification of plasma thrombopoietin level and its significance in patients with aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. Glob Med Genet. 2023;10(3):194-198. doi:10.1055/s-0043-1771456

Related: Anemia, Inflammation Linked to Dementia Plus Cognitive Decline