Because a significant proportion of SLE patients had anti-GPIb antibody-producing B cells in the absence of anti-GPIIb/IIIa antibody-producing B cells, measurement of the anti-GPIb in addition to anti-GPIIb/IIIa antibody-producing B cells may have some merit for accurately identifying secondary ITP in patients with SLE and thrombocytopenia, although the number of patients analyzed in this study was too small to draw a firm conclusion. This evidence concerns the gene ITGA2B and systemic lupus erythematosus.