Secondary immune thrombocytopenic purpura: An unusual complication of scrub typhus

Thrombocytopenia is a common manifestation of rickettsial disease. Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an acquired thrombocytopenia with antibodies detected against platelet surface antigens. It is the most common cause of acute-onset thrombocytopenia in an otherwise healthy child. ITP secondar...

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Main Authors: Jency Auxilia, Nivya Jeet Daniel, Nishanth Rajan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-01-01
Series:Journal of Current Research in Scientific Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jcrsm.jcrsm_96_24
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author Jency Auxilia
Nivya Jeet Daniel
Nishanth Rajan
author_facet Jency Auxilia
Nivya Jeet Daniel
Nishanth Rajan
author_sort Jency Auxilia
collection DOAJ
description Thrombocytopenia is a common manifestation of rickettsial disease. Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an acquired thrombocytopenia with antibodies detected against platelet surface antigens. It is the most common cause of acute-onset thrombocytopenia in an otherwise healthy child. ITP secondary to an underlying condition is a diagnosis of exclusion that is essential to establish treatment efficacy. Here, we report a case of immune thrombocytopenia secondary to scrub typhus infection, and we summarize its diagnosis and treatment. A 9-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital with hematuria, petechiae over both legs, and a history of fever for 11 days. Physical examination revealed the presence of an eschar over the left groin. Although thrombocytopenia is common in scrub typhus, failure of platelet counts to normalize even after medical management with doxycycline should prompt the clinician to consider other possibilities of thrombocytopenia, notably immune thrombocytopenia.
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2455-3069
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
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series Journal of Current Research in Scientific Medicine
spelling doaj-art-fe6026d8ad3f422fbfe05e91a61cfe842025-08-20T02:42:25ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Current Research in Scientific Medicine2542-62732455-30692025-01-01111767810.4103/jcrsm.jcrsm_96_24Secondary immune thrombocytopenic purpura: An unusual complication of scrub typhusJency AuxiliaNivya Jeet DanielNishanth RajanThrombocytopenia is a common manifestation of rickettsial disease. Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an acquired thrombocytopenia with antibodies detected against platelet surface antigens. It is the most common cause of acute-onset thrombocytopenia in an otherwise healthy child. ITP secondary to an underlying condition is a diagnosis of exclusion that is essential to establish treatment efficacy. Here, we report a case of immune thrombocytopenia secondary to scrub typhus infection, and we summarize its diagnosis and treatment. A 9-year-old boy was admitted to our hospital with hematuria, petechiae over both legs, and a history of fever for 11 days. Physical examination revealed the presence of an eschar over the left groin. Although thrombocytopenia is common in scrub typhus, failure of platelet counts to normalize even after medical management with doxycycline should prompt the clinician to consider other possibilities of thrombocytopenia, notably immune thrombocytopenia.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jcrsm.jcrsm_96_24doxycyclineimmune thrombocytopenic purpuraintravenous immune globulinscrub typhus
spellingShingle Jency Auxilia
Nivya Jeet Daniel
Nishanth Rajan
Secondary immune thrombocytopenic purpura: An unusual complication of scrub typhus
Journal of Current Research in Scientific Medicine
doxycycline
immune thrombocytopenic purpura
intravenous immune globulin
scrub typhus
title Secondary immune thrombocytopenic purpura: An unusual complication of scrub typhus
title_full Secondary immune thrombocytopenic purpura: An unusual complication of scrub typhus
title_fullStr Secondary immune thrombocytopenic purpura: An unusual complication of scrub typhus
title_full_unstemmed Secondary immune thrombocytopenic purpura: An unusual complication of scrub typhus
title_short Secondary immune thrombocytopenic purpura: An unusual complication of scrub typhus
title_sort secondary immune thrombocytopenic purpura an unusual complication of scrub typhus
topic doxycycline
immune thrombocytopenic purpura
intravenous immune globulin
scrub typhus
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jcrsm.jcrsm_96_24
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AT nivyajeetdaniel secondaryimmunethrombocytopenicpurpuraanunusualcomplicationofscrubtyphus
AT nishanthrajan secondaryimmunethrombocytopenicpurpuraanunusualcomplicationofscrubtyphus