An adult blind man presenting severe impairment of the right finger, ecchymosis in the thorax region, and haemorrhagic blisters on the oral mucosa

Abstract

Thrombocytopenia is defined as a reduced platelet count within blood (<100 9 109 units/L),1 generating a primary haemostatic defect.2 This condition may be observed in diseases associated with (i) impaired platelet production (e.g. aplastic anaemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, chemotherapy), and (ii) increased splenic sequestration (e.g. splenomegaly, disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombotic microangiopathy).1,2 Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) consists of an acquired immune-mediated disorder with severe dermatological manifestations in which auto-antibodies establish a direct link with specific glycoproteins expressed on platelet surfaces, such as IIb-IIIa and Ib-IX, promoting platelet destruction by macrophages from the reticuloendothelial system.