Background: Bleeding complications are common in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), with a subset developing acquired von Willebrand disease. Despite this association, a wide spectrum of von Willebrand factor (VWF) abnormalities are described, and the performance of modern assays remains unclear.
Objectives: To comprehensively describe the pattern of VWF laboratory abnormalities in the MPN population.
Background: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare but potentially fatal disorder caused by ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13) deficiency. Prompt identification/exclusion of TTP can thus be facilitated by rapid ADAMTS13 testing. The most commonly utilized (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]-based) assay takes several hours to perform and so does not generally permit rapid testing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a rare but potentially fatal complication of heparin therapy. In some patients, HIT causes platelet activation and thrombosis (sometimes abbreviated HITT), which leads to adverse clinical sequalae ('pathological HIT'). The likelihood of HIT is initially assessed clinically, typically using a scoring system, of which the 4T score is that most utilised.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA previously healthy 3-year-old girl presented with a short history of mucocutaneous bleeding and a spontaneous left knee hemarthrosis following a nonspecific viral gastroenteritis. Initial investigations for a bleeding disorder revealed a normal platelet count; however, coagulation studies revealed a prothrombin time (PT) of 25 seconds and an activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) of 66 seconds (both prolonged). The APTT did not correct on mixing with normal plasma, and further testing confirmed the presence of a strong lupus anticoagulant (LA).
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