vitamin-b-12 and Purpura--Thrombocytopenic--Idiopathic

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Diagnostic Tests, Routine; Female; Folic Acid; Folic Acid Deficiency; Humans; Male; Methylmalonic Acid; Middle Aged; Procedures and Techniques Utilization; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic; Sarcoidosis; Thrombocytopenia; Unnecessary Procedures; Vitamin B 12; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency; Young Adult

The most common form of isolated thrombocytopenia is idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in childhood. Hence, pediatricians consider a possible diagnosis of ITP in patients with isolated thrombocytopenia who are admitted to hospital with complaints of skin findings such as petechiae, purpura, and ecchymosis. It is well known that cobalamin deficiency may also cause thrombocytopenia together with anemia and leukopenia in children. However, isolated thrombocytopenia due to cobalamin deficiency has rarely been reported in literature. In this case report, we present a 7-year-old female patient with isolated thrombocytopenia that was improved by cyanocobalamin therapy.

Topics: Child; Female; Humans; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic; Treatment Outcome; Vitamin B 12; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency

Some reports on the simultaneous presence of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and pernicious anaemia (PA) may be found in the literature. However, little is known about the coexistence of these autoimmune disorders. For this reason, we studied the prevalence of PA in a series of patients with a diagnosis of chronic ITP by means of the analysis of the concentration of the most sensitive marker of type A atrophic (autoimmune) gastritis, serum pepsinogen I. Serum pepsinogen I was low in 20.3% of the 133 patients studied. Gastrin was elevated in 15. 2% of patients, but the coexistence of both abnormalities was rather low (7.6% of patients). However, the progressive decrease in serum cobalamin as biochemical abnormalities related with atrophic gastritis appeared was noticeable. The time to progression to frank PA from type A atrophic gastritis may span some years.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anemia, Pernicious; Biomarkers; Case-Control Studies; Clinical Enzyme Tests; Female; Gastrins; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pepsinogen A; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic; Statistics, Nonparametric; Vitamin B 12