5 July 2017 (Wednesday) - Petechiae



This appeared on one of the Facebook groups I follow:

A 50 years old man has had a petechial rash on his lower limbs for one month and has recently noticed abdominal bruising. He is otherwise well and there is no splenomegaly or lymphadenopathy. Single most informative test:

a. factor 8 related antigen
b. platelet count
c. platelet function test
d. prothrombin time
e vitamin k assay

Please explain. Thanks.

My first thought was “What a stupid question” as we would not realistically be restricted to just one test. In the first instance we’d perform both a platelet count and a clotting screen (not just a PT)
But it is interesting to read the comments that other followers of the group have left. Some clearly have a good grasp of the subject; some haven’t the faintest idea. Being able to tell which is which helps…

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