The following are eight early warning signs of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) that you should know about:

• You have bruises but you don’t remember getting hurt. You might notice that you have bruises when you wake up. You might experience bruising even though you didn’t hurt yourself. It is a cause of concern as bruises on your legs and arms and can be one of the early signs of ITP. The bruises caused by ITP are called purpura.
• You can notice hematomas, which are small bumps that appear under your skin. These can be a sign of ITP and you should get it checked by a doctor. Hematomas are types of bruises that occur when you are moderately injured. They are made of blood that has clotted and has come together in your skin’s deep tissues.
• Females can experience periods that are heavier than usual. ITP can be responsible if you notice that you are bleeding heavily more frequently every month during your periods. ITP causes low platelet counts which is responsible for heavy bleeding in women. Note that if you have heavy bleeding occasionally then it might not be due to ITP.
• You have petechiae, which are when you have tiny red bumps on your skin. This is one of the most common early warning signs of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The red bumps are a result of internal bleeding, and initially, they might resemble a red rash. However, the difference is these bumps are all over the place and are raised.
• Excessive fatigue is one of the signs of ITP that is often ignored. Excessive fatigue is categorized by the inability to do normal activities, frequent naps during daytime, requiring more sleep than usual, and feeling very tired despite good sleep. This is one of the common signs that you might miss but it can indicate ITP.
• You notice that you have frequent nose bleeding episodes. If you know that you are healthy but your nose is bleeding more regularly then you might have ITP. Other causes of nose bleeding are cold, allergies, blood-thinning medications, and sinus infections. But if you don’t have any of these then ITP might be the cause.
• Noticing blood in your stools or urine is one of the early warning signs of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). While it is true that infection can cause blood in the urine or stools, it is not normal for blood to appear in any of these. A low number of platelets can cause bleeding in urine and stools and can point to ITP.
• Gum bleeding is one of the common signs of ITP. You might notice that when you visit the dentist and get dental work done then you bleed easily. You might notice that your gums bleed when you floss or brush your teeth even if you don’t do it with force. If there is bruising that accompanies gum bleeding then it can be ITP.

The moment you realize you have any of the above early warning signs of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) then you should contact your doctor.