title: Immune thrombocytopenic purpura: a presentation of HIV infection.
abstract: About 5% to 10% of HIV-infected patients develop thrombocytopenia during the course of the disease, and immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) may be the sole clinical manifestation of HIV infection. The clinical picture is indistinguishable from the classic auto-ITP. Treatment is the same as that given for classic ITP as the pathogenesis is in many ways similar. Steroids, intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs), and antiretroviral therapy (ART) have all been tried with varied results but have been associated with fall in platelet count on withdrawal of therapy. We report a case of a 13-year-old girl who presented with thrombocytopenic purpura and had no response to ART but had normalization of platelet count while on steroids, which immediately fell below the normal range on withdrawing the steroids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric HIV Clinic, B. J. Wadia Hospital for Children, Parel, Mumbai, India. irashah@pediatriconcall.com
authors.forename: Ira
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D016553:Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy