What is ALPS?
NIH Findings
- ALPS is a disorder that typically develops in early childhood but can present in adults.
- ALPS is not cancer, and it is not contagious.
- There is a wide spectrum of illness in ALPS. For some, it is very mild; for others, it is more severe.
- Once a person has ALPS, he or she does not become sicker and sicker over time. In fact, the problems seem to lessen as children get to be teenagers and young adults.
- Most people with ALPS have episodes of autoimmune problems (conditions in which the immune system attacks cells in the body). These can happen at any age, but they appear worse in childhood.
- Genetic mutations responsible for ALPS can be passed on from generation to generation or can occur spontaneously.
Immune systems in patients with ALPS are generally efficient in fighting infection.
- An increase in certain types of white blood cells called alpha-beta double-negative T cells are elevated in ALPS patients.
Symptoms
Not all people with ALPS will have all of its symptoms; some people have only a few. Signs of ALPS that are seen most often include the following:
- Enlarged spleen
- Enlarged lymph nodes, especially in the neck and underarms
- Enlarged liver
- Skin rashes
- Thombocytopenia (low platelet count), which can cause bruising, nose bleeds, and may pose a risk for hemorrhage (excessive bleeding); little red spots called petechiae (pet-eek'-ia) may also show up on the skin when platelets are low
- Anemia (low red blood cell count), which can cause increased fatigue or pallor
- Neutropenia (low neutrophil count), which can create a risk for bacterial infections
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