My fiancee became SSA positive after living with me for a few years. The odds of us happening to just be together are at the highest 0.1% based on prevalence rates. I am fairly well convinced that there is a infectious agent that has not been typified yet.

It is common for autoimmune diseases to run in families but for ITP to appear in an unrelated (blood wise) couple is pretty amazing. At least you can compare blood counts and have someone who understands the frustrations. Here's hoping you both get into a remission.

Hi. :) My husband's aunt and uncle (his mother's brother and sister) both have ITP and our nephew (my husband's sister's son) also has ITP. It certainly seems to me that autoimmune diseases run in families. I have Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) and an autoimmune disease as well. They aren't sure which one, but they think that Sjogren's is the most likely culprit. I am the only one in my family that I know of who has anything like this, but since this kind of thing runs in my husband's family, I have been concerned that if we have a child, he/she would have a greater chance of having an immune deficiency or an autoimmune disease or both. We are sitting on the fence as to whether to have biological children or not, but neither one of us are getting any younger, so we'll have to be deciding soon. Here's hoping that everyone in your family feels better soon! :)

I certainly wouldn't not have children because of autoimmunity in the family. I've got both ITP and an immune deficiency but I'm rather glad that I was born.

When ITP occurs in families usually it isn't strictly ITP but familial throbocytopenia so the usual ITP treatments don't work. Occurring in two unrelated partners is unusual, and you are very special.