title: delta-Storage pool disease: a pitfall in the forensic investigation of sudden anal blood loss in children: a case report.
abstract: We present the case of a 3.5-year-old boy with sudden anal blood loss at school. Sexual abuse was suspected, and, apart from anal fissures seen on sigmoidoscopy, no other clinical signs of any sort of disorder were present. As no medical explanation for the blood loss could be given, penetrating anal trauma was suggested. During follow-up consultations, there were complaints of occasional blood loss. Platelet aggregation tests and electron microscopy finally helped diagnose a delta-storage pool disease which is a rare haemostatic disorder involving the dense granules of the platelets. Although exclusion of well-known blood diseases through routine laboratory testing is a common practice in children with sudden blood loss, this case illustrates the value of more specialised investigation both from a diagnostic and forensic point of view.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Forensic Medicine, University Hospitals of the Catholic University of Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 12, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. cfg@uz.kuleuven.be
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: De Munnynck
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van Geet
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Vos
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van de Voorde
mesh_terms: D001004:Anus Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000175:diagnosis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010981:Platelet Storage Pool Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*