Consultant Letter
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Invitation to Consultant Clinicians.
We are writing to invite you to participate in an important, prospective national study
of childhood immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). A national Registry has been
established for children aged between two months and sixteen years diagnosed with
acute and chronic ITP and will share data with an international registry for ITP
(PARC, Paediatric and Adult intercontinental Registry on Chronic ITP). Previous UK
Audits have established the frequency of acute ITP and bleeding complications in
acute ITP but there has been no studies collecting longer term data on those patients
who develop chronic ITP.
The primary objective of the National Registry will be to establish the consequences
of acute and chronic ITP on the frequency and severity of bleeding symptoms and on
the requirement for treatment in these conditions. Secondary objectives include the
collection of data on the long term outcomes of ITP, on the frequency and outcome of
intracranial and other significant haemorrhage, and on the various treatment strategies
used to increase patients’ platelet counts. We anticipate that information collected
through the Registry will subsequently be used to identify children at high or low risk
of significant haemorrhage so that interventional treatment could be offered
appropriately.
What work is involved for data collection?
MREC has agreed that all sites participating in this study are exempt from sitespecific assessment. There is no need to inform Local Research Ethics Committees
(LRECs) about the research. For notification of your local R&D department copies of
the NHS R&D form, REC application and approval letter can be downloaded from the
website: www.uk-itp.org
Children with ITP can be registered within 12 months of initial diagnosis.
Registration details can be entered directly onto the secure server using any NHS
computer or alternatively over the phone with our data manager. Data requested will
www.uk-itp.org
UK Paediatric chronic ITP Registry (version 2) dated 16.08.06
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consist of standard information stored in the medical notes such as bleeding episodes,
therapy required and blood counts.
Follow up information will be requested six months after registration: no further
information will then be collected on those children whose ITP has resolved whereas
data will continue to be collected annually on children with ongoing chronic ITP. All
Data can then be returned electronically and will be stored in an anonymised form on
the secure national database. Telephone support is available from members of the
research co-ordinators to deal with any further questions and technical support for
supply information onto the registry is available from out IT team.
We hope that you will agree to participate in this study which has Corec approval and
is supported by the ITP Support Group. You will be aware of the lack of consensus
which exists about the management of acute and chronic ITP, and of the incomplete
information which exists on the outcome of these disorders in childhood. The
establishment of this Registry will provide much needed data which will be used to
inform clinicians and families on prognosis, risk and optimal treatment strategies for
paediatric ITP.
Further information about this study can be obtained from any of the study coordinators listed on the following page.
Thank you for your interest.
Yours sincerely
Dr John Grainger
Chairman
UK Paediatric ITP Working Party
The following organisations have written in support of this registry:
The Paediatric subcommittee of British Society for Haematology
The ITP Support association
www.uk-itp.org
UK Paediatric chronic ITP Registry (version 2) dated 16.08.06
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Dr John Grainger
Consultant Paediatric Haematologist
Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital,
Pendlebury,
Manchester M27 4HA
Tel. 0161 922 2245
Fax 0161 922 2545
Email john.grainger@cmmc.nhs.uk
Dr Paula Bolton-Maggs
Consultant Haematologist
Manchester Royal Infirmary
Oxford Rd
Manchester M13 9WL
Tel 0161 276 4811
Fax 0161 276 8085
Email paula.bolton-maggs@manchester.ac.uk
Dr Sarah Ball
Reader/Hon Consultant in Paediatric
Haematology
St George's University of London
Cranmer Terrace
London SW17 0RE
Tel 0208 725 3921
Fax 0208 725 0636
Email sball@sgul.ac.uk
Dr Mike Williams
Consultant Paediatric Haematologist
Birmingham Children's Hospital
Steelhouse Lane
Birmingham B4 6NH
Tel. 0121 333 9843
Fax 0121 333 9841
Email mike.williams@bch.nhs.uk
Dr Mike Richards
Consultant Paediatric Haematologist,
Children's Day Hospital,
St James's University Hospital,
Leeds LS9 7TF
Tel 0113 2066295
Fax 0113 2470248
Email Michael.Richards@leedsth.nhs.uk
www.uk-itp.org
UK Paediatric chronic ITP Registry (version 2) dated 16.08.06