Essentials for Diagnosis 
(1) In most cases, the patients have a previous history of viral infection 1-2 weeks prior to the onset of acute thrombocytopenic purpura. The onset of the disease is sudden, often manifested as fever and severe bleeding tendency. There may be hemorrhage in skin and mucosa, often accompanied by hemorrhage in gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, respiratory tract, or even intracranial hemorrhage, which may cause death very often. But the disease is self-limited and is spontaneously cured within 4-6 weeks, at most half a year. In a few cases, the disease may progress to chronic type.

(2) The onset of chronic type is insidious. In most cases, there is bleeding tendency long before confirmed diagnosis. Generally, if platelet count is below 50×109/L, it is usually manifested as purpura, epistaxis, gingival bleeding, profuse menstruation, and accompanied by irondeficiency anemia; if platelet count is below 30×109/L, hemorrhage in viscera can be found; if platelet count is below 10 ×109/L, intracranial hemorrhage may occur. Furthermore, it is persistent, with repeated attacks in the course of the disease.

(3) Laboratory examination shows platelet count decreased; red cell count and haemoglobin decreased in the case with loss of blood: leucocyte count normal, the bleeding time prolonged and coagulation time normal; the picture of bone marrow shows megalocaryocytes normal or increased with disturbance of maturity; in acute type megalocaryocytes are mostly granular while in chronic type, naked-nuclear; platelets few, antibody PAIgG, PAIgM, PAIgA, PAC3 increased.

In TCM, a disease or a symptom might be caused by one pathogenic factor, even two or three pathogenic factors. When diagnosing a disease or a symptom, TCM doctors must follow the principle of "Syndrome Dfferentiation", and then "Suit the Remedy to the Case". In order to gain a more definite and valuable diagnosis, it's important and necessary for the doctor to learn the detailed health information of the patient, including his/her disease duration, age, sex, height, weight, family history, urine, stool, diet, sleep, sweat, energy, mood (emotion), as well as the tongue conditions and the palm conditions, etc. If you would want our expert to create a TCM diagnosis, you're welcome to contact us.