Pitfalls in the Diagnosis of Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura in Children: 4 Case Reports

Acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is the most common cause of thrombocytopenia in childhood, and diagnosis of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is made clinically based on the exclusion of other causes of thrombocytopenia. Patients with diverse causes of thrombocytopenia are sometimes erro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical and applied thrombosis/hemostasis 2007-07, Vol.13 (3), p.329-333
Main Authors: Biner, Betül, Devecioğlu, Ömer, Demir, Muzaffer
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Antitubercular Agents - adverse effects
Blood Platelets - pathology
Case reports
Child
Female
Humans
Male
Neutrophils - pathology
Platelet Count
Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - chemically induced
Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - diagnosis
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Summary:Acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is the most common cause of thrombocytopenia in childhood, and diagnosis of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is made clinically based on the exclusion of other causes of thrombocytopenia. Patients with diverse causes of thrombocytopenia are sometimes erroneously diagnosed as having idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. However, for the prevention of misdiagnoses, careful inspection of peripheral blood smear is of utmost importance. This report presents 4 cases presumed as acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura that were finally identified as pseudothrombocytopenia, inherited macrothrombocytopenia (MHY9 disorders) possibly Epstein syndrome, Bernard-Soulier syndrome, and drug-induced thrombocytopenia. They draw attention to the importance of platelet morphology to exclude inherited macrothrombocytopenia and history to exclude drug-induced thrombocytopenia. Better diagnostic approaches would be possible by the awareness of these relatively rare causes of isolated thrombocytopenia.
ISSN:1076-0296
1938-2723
DOI:10.1177/1076029607302444