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CASE REPORT article

Front. Hematol.
Sec. Blood Cancer
Volume 3 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frhem.2024.1482891

A Decade-Long Journey with Cyclic Thrombocytopenia

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, United States
  • 2 Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Cyclic thrombocytopenia (CTP) is a rare hematological disorder characterized by significant oscillations in platelet counts, alternating between phases of severe thrombocytopenia and periods of normal or elevated platelet levels. Due to its clinical similarities with Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP), CTP presents a diagnostic challenge. We report the case of a 54-year-old woman who first presented at age 45 with a petechial rash, heavy menstruation, and severe thrombocytopenia with a platelet count of less than 5,000 × 10^9/L. Her severe thrombocytopenia was followed by marked rebound thrombocytosis, ultimately leading to a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic cyclic thrombocytopenia (CTP). Unlike other cyclic hematological disorders, CTP exclusively affects platelet counts distinguishing it from other conditions. It is unresponsive to conventional ITP treatments, and thus accurate diagnosis through vigilant platelet monitoring in unexplained thrombocytopenia can help CTP patients avoid unnecessary therapies and their associated side effects.

    Keywords: Thrombocytopenia, Thrombocytosis, Cyclic thrombocytopenia, ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura), Splenectomy, TPO (Thermoplastic polyolefin)

    Received: 19 Aug 2024; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Al-Assil, Ellythy, Idris and Omaira. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Talal Al-Assil, Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, United States
    Mohammad Omaira, Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, United States

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