Thrombocytopenia Due to Direct Oral Anticoagulation and Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are becoming increasingly prevalent in the general population for anticoagulation. However, rare adverse effects from these medications are still being discovered. Thrombocytopenia has previously been reported with these medications, but its clinical significance is still unknown. We present a patient who developed thrombocytopenia from apixaban and who subsequently developed a severe presentation of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) from enoxaparin. This raises the possibility that thrombocytopenia from oral anticoagulants increases the likelihood of the development of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.