A Case of Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura Secondary to Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Abstract

The haematological abnormalities associated with active pulmonary tuberculosis were known to human beings since decades but Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) secondary to pulmonary tuberculosis have been reported only in a couple of instances. We report a 27 year-old male patient who was admitted to our hospital with fever, shortness of breath, haematuria, epistaxis and generalized petechiae. The sputum positivity for Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) and chest X-ray reports were suggestive of active pulmonary tuberculosis in our patient. Clinical and laboratory parameters including bone marrow aspiration cytology diagnosed the case to be ITP. Patient was put on Directly Observed Treatment and Short course (DOTS) category-1 Anti-Tuberculosis Therapy (ATT) and prednisone following which thrombocytopenia was corrected and there was complete recovery of the patient without recurrence of thrombocytopenia.

Keywords

• anti-tuberculosis therapy
• directly observed treatment and short course
• prednisolone