Infectious Mononucleosis as a Cause of Severe Pseudothrombocytopenia

Abstract

Infectious mononucleosis (IM) is characterized by fever, swallowing pain (with or without pharyngeal exudate), neck adenopathies and, in characteristic cases, atypical lymphocytosis. Over 50% of all patients with IM present generally mild thrombocytopenia without clinical consequences, though in exceptional cases the condition may prove serious. Pseudothrombocytopenia (PT) is an in vitro artifact caused by antibody (generally IgG) - mediated platelet aggregation secondary to blood sample collection and processing in a medium containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). It can be associated to autoimmune disorders, drugs, solid tumors, and myeloproliferative and lymphoproliferative syndromes. We present a case of PT associated to IM in which the viral infection was the cause of false severe thrombopenia.




J Med Cases. 2014;5(6):355-356
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc1826e