[Thrombotic thrombopenic purpura and HIV infection. Apropos of a case]

In the past years, more than thirty cases of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) had been described associated to infection by the human immunodeficiency virus. Some authors have suggested the presence of a causal relationship between both entities, although the common nexus is still unknown. It usually has a fulminant onset, affecting all the risk groups and in any stage of the disease. The clinical manifestations are similar to the classical forms, as well as the evolution and response to treatment. We present a new clinical case, typical in its presentation and its good response to treatment with plasmatic spares associated to PFC and steroid infusion. We believe that the presence of clinical signs suggesting TTP in a patient would necessarily discard the presence of HIV infection and, the other way round, the presence of clinical signs suggesting TTP in a patient with HIV infection would determine the onset of an early and aggressive treatment based on plasmatic spares, given that the prognosis is linked to an early onset of the treatment.