Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia due to anti-Nak(a)

The accurate diagnosis of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia is essential in the effective treatment of potentially serious bleeding in neonates.

Reported here is a case of a full-term female baby who was delivered by vacuum extraction from a gravida 1 para 1 healthy mother. She presented with generalized petechiae and bilateral cephalhematoma, which she had had since birth. At 7 hours of life, she had an upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage and was found to have severe anemia and marked thrombo-cytopenia. Coagulation screening tests were normal. The diagnosis of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia was suspected, and maternal serum was collected for further study. The baby was treated with a single dose of hydrocortisone (10 mg/kg) and IVIG (400 mg/kg) while waiting for irradiated platelets from her mother. After 30 mL of a transfusion of maternal platelets, the baby's platelet count rose dramatically, from 15,000 to 162,000 per microL, and it remained stable at that level. She was discharged on the 10th hospital day in good condition. During the follow-up period of 8 months, her growth and development were satisfactorily normal, as well as her platelet count. A high-titered platelet antibody was detected in the maternal serum by use of a solid phase platelet adherence technique.

The specificity of the platelet antibody was identified as anti-Nak(a) by the mixed passive hemagglutination test method.

These findings suggested a diagnosis of NAIT caused by anti-Nak(a).