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Serendipitous Finding of Asymptomatic Babesiosis in a Patient With Symptomatic Thrombocytopenia
We report a case of isolated immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) as a result of babesiosis infection. The patient initially presented with a history, physical exam and laboratory findings consistent with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. She was treated with standard of care therapy without cli...
Autores principales: | , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Elmer Press
2019
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7155809/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32300466 http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jh570 |
Sumario: | We report a case of isolated immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) as a result of babesiosis infection. The patient initially presented with a history, physical exam and laboratory findings consistent with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. She was treated with standard of care therapy without clinical response. Daily evaluation of the peripheral smear ultimately revealed a red blood cell inclusion, identified and confirmed as a low-titer babesiosis infection indicative of past exposure. As described below, isolated thrombocytopenia related to babesiosis infection has not been reported prior to the patient’s presentation. There are a few cases reported to show a relationship between babesiosis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia without an understood pathophysiologic mechanism. We review the literature, propose a possible pathophysiologic mechanism of disease and consider the implications of swift identification to prevent clinical deterioration. |
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