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Immune thrombocytopenic purpura associated with rheumatoid arthritis: case report

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Abstract

A 54-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 1995 on the basis of symmetric effusive polyarthritis, morning stiffness, and strongly positive rheumatoid factor. She had received low-dose prednisolone, indomethacin, methotrexate (MTX), and cyclophosphamide (CPA), at least, over 4 years before the current admission and showed partial improvement of polyarthralgia. In November 2002, she suddenly developed thrombocytopenia (platelet count was 0.3×104 mm−3) with purpura and was diagnosed with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). As she had refractory ITP, the administration of pulsed high-dose dexamethasone (DEX) therapy was started, resulting in the complete remission of ITP. The present paper reports that pulsed high-dose DEX therapy was useful for the treatment of refractory ITP associated with RA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nephrology, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu, Okoh-cho, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8505, Japan

    Taro Horino, Atsushi Sasaoka, Toshihiro Takao, Takafumi Taguchi, Hiroshi Maruyama, Hiroyuki Ito & Kozo Hashimoto

  2. Department of Hematology and Respiratory Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu, Okoh-cho, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8505, Japan

    Shigeki Takemoto & Hirokuni Taguchi

Authors
  1. Taro Horino
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  2. Atsushi Sasaoka
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  3. Toshihiro Takao
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  4. Takafumi Taguchi
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  5. Hiroshi Maruyama
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  6. Hiroyuki Ito
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  7. Shigeki Takemoto
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  8. Hirokuni Taguchi
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  9. Kozo Hashimoto
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Correspondence to Taro Horino.

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Horino, T., Sasaoka, A., Takao, T. et al. Immune thrombocytopenic purpura associated with rheumatoid arthritis: case report. Clin Rheumatol 24, 641–644 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-005-1113-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-005-1113-x

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