[Thrombocytopenia and HIV: the role of splenectomy]

Severe thrombocytopenia has been diagnosed in HIV seropositive patients independently of the clinical stage of disease. In view of its immunologic origin, attempts have been made to treat this condition with drugs which have proved effective in the treatment of autoimmune thrombocytopenia, though with little or no beneficial effect to these patients. This communication deals with the observation (5-22 months) of 5 HIV seropositive patients with severe thrombocytopenia who were resistant to steroids, high dose i.v. immunoglobulin and Danazol. They all responded well to splenectomy, with only one patient relapsing after 4 months. However, 2 patients showed deterioration of the immunodeficient state: in one patient the number of CD4 lymphocytes decreased and the other died of multifocal leuko-encephalopathy 4 months after splenectomy. Based on this small series, splenectomy seems to be effective in the treatment of thrombocytopenic HIV seropositive patients. However, long-term hazards still have to be assessed.