Immune thrombocytopenic purpura in a patient with disseminated tuberculosis: An unusual presentation

• Main Authors: Prashant Nasa, Deven Juneja, Sudhish Sehra, H K Singh, Deen Bandhu Prasad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Mycobacteriology
• Subjects: Extrapulmonary tuberculosis with immune thrombocytopenic purpura; hematological manifestations of tuberculosis; immune thrombocytopenic purpura
• Online Access: http://www.ijmyco.org/article.asp?issn=2212-5531;year=2019;volume=8;issue=1;spage=107;epage=109;aulast=Nasa
• ISSN: 2212-5531; 2212-554X

Pulmonary tuberculosis can have a wide variety of presentations including hematological manifestations. We report a case of a young male patient who presented with complaints of generalized petechiae, gum bleeding, systemic lymphadenopathy, and severe thrombocytopenia. His bone marrow revealed normal megakaryocytes, and in the absence of hepatosplenomegaly, a diagnosis of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) was made. The thrombocytopenia responded to course of intravenous immune globulin. The smear made from fine-needle aspiration of cervical lymph nodes showed acid-fast bacilli. This case highlights the rare association of extrapulmonary tuberculosis with ITP.