Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura as a Cause of Stroke in a Young Person – a Clinical Case
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24950/rspmi.876Keywords:
Plasmapheresis, Purpura, Thrombotic ThrombocytopenicAbstract
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is a rare disorder characterized by thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolysis and occlusive ischemia, with the brain being the main affected organ. The
clinical approach taken in Emergency Departments, in the first hours
of a young adult with focal neurologic signs and suspect of stroke is
the immediate exclusion of pathologies that are contraindications to
thrombolysis, as for example, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.
Until a few decades ago, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura was
a devastating disorder, of unknown etiology, almost universally fatal.
Currently, the prognosis of these patients improved significantly with
a better understanding of the disorder pathophysiology as well as
with the introduction of plasmapheresis at an early stage. The authors
report a clinical case in which the diagnosis of the thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura at an early stage together with the access to plasmapheresis allowed good clinical results to be achieved.
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