The Association of Autoimmune Thrombocytopenia and Hodgkin’s Disease

The case described is that of a patient who initially presented with bleeding tendency characterized by epistaxis, bruises, and purpura for 6 years which was subsequently diagnosed as autoimmune thrombocytopenia. The patient was found to have Hodgkin’s disease, stage III-A, after biopsy of submandibular node and laparotomy. The thrombocytopenia responded initially to steroid therapy followed by splenectomy. Treatment of Hodgkin’s disease with radiation has had no effect on the course of the autoimmune thrombocytopenia, even though the Hodgkin’s disease is in complete remission. The test for platelet factor-3 antiplatelet autoantibody was positive, while no isoantiplatelet antibody was found as a result of the complement fixation test. The thrombocytopenia is responding to Cytoxan therapy after failure of splenectomy and steroids.