A Case of Immune Thrombocytopenia After COVID-19 Infection

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a hematological condition that is characterized by a low platelet count. ITP can be primary or secondary. Secondary causes are diverse and include viral infections. The novel coronavirus has rarely been recognized as cause of ITP. This is a case of an 82-year-old Caucasian male who was infected by the novel coronavirus four weeks prior. His platelet count on admission was 1,000/mm3. He was diagnosed with ITP caused by the novel coronavirus as there were no other causes for his thrombocytopenia. The patient was treated with platelet infusions, high-dose corticosteroids, and intravenous immunoglobulin infusions.


Case Presentation
We present the case of an 82-year-old Caucasian male who presented to the hospital with a near-syncopal episode. The patient also complained of dyspnea on exertion for the past few weeks. He has a past medical history significant for hypertension, hypothyroidism, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease status post coronary artery bypass grafting. The patient was diagnosed with COVID-19 four weeks prior to presentation to the hospital. He was treated with remdesivir and low dose dexamethasone. He was discharged after a three-day hospital stay. He noticed epistaxis the night prior to the presentation. He had also noted diffuse bruising on his arms several days prior to his current presentation. He denied a history of hematologic disorders.
On admission, his vital signs showed a temperature of 98.7 F, pulse rate of 82 beats per minute, respiratory rate of 17 breaths per min, blood pressure of 141/63 mmHg, and oxygen saturation of 89% on room air.
Physical examination revealed large areas of ecchymosis on the upper extremities, scattered ecchymosis on his lower extremities, some dried blood in his nares, and left lower lobe rales and rhonchi. Laboratory values yielded a white blood cell count 7,430/mm 3 , hemoglobin 10.3 g/dL, platelet count 1,000/mm 3 , prothrombin time 10.0 seconds, international normalized ratio 1.01, activated partial thromboplastin time 29 seconds, sodium 132 mmol/L, potassium 4.2 mmol/L, chloride 99 mmol/L, carbon dioxide of 25 mmol/L, blood urea nitrogen 45 mg/dL, and creatinine 1.4 mg/dL.
The patient was admitted to the medical floor. Hematology was consulted for severe thrombocytopenia.
On day 3 of his hospitalization, he started complaining of melena. His hemoglobin count dropped to a low of 6.8 g/dL on hospital day 4. One unit of packed red blood cells (pRBC) was transfused, which resulted in an increase of his hemoglobin to 8.0 g/dL. Gastroenterology was consulted to further evaluate. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy was performed, which revealed mild-to-moderate diffuse gastritis. Diffuse petechiae were also noted in the entire stomach ( Figures 1A, 1B).   The patient was discharged with a 14-day course of 60 mg prednisone daily. The patient was seen four weeks later in the hematology-oncology clinic and was faring well with no recurrent bleeding or thrombocytopenia.
However, this patient only tested negative on rapid nucleic acid amplification testing [12]. Our patient was different from this case as he tested negative on both rapid nucleic acid amplification testing as well as the more sensitive polymerase chain reaction testing.

Conclusions
ITP is a potentially life-threatening autoimmune condition that needs prompt diagnosis and treatment that might lead to better outcomes for patients. COVID-19 needs to be recognized as a secondary cause for ITP. Healthcare providers should be mindful of ITP in COVID-19 patients during the active infection and after they have recovered from the illness.

Additional Information Disclosures
Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.