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Polyarteritis presenting with thrombocytosis and palliated by plasma exchange
Postgraduate Medical Journal
|September 1, 1978
Summary
Polyarteritis nodosa patients with high platelets and immune complexes improved with plasma exchange. This treatment helped understand the disease, though predisolone offers a more convenient therapeutic option.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Immunology
- Hematology
Background:
- Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a systemic vasculitis.
- Thrombocytosis and circulating immune complexes can be associated with PAN activity.
Observation:
- A 66-year-old patient with PAN presented with thrombocytosis.
- Circulating immune complexes were detected in the patient's blood.
Findings:
- Plasma exchange led to symptomatic improvement in the patient.
- Plasma exchange reduced both platelet count and circulating immune complex levels.
- This suggests a role for immune complexes in PAN pathogenesis and thrombocytosis.
Implications:
- Plasma exchange serves as a valuable tool for investigating PAN pathogenesis.
- While effective for investigation, plasma exchange is less convenient than other treatments.
- Prednisolone is presented as a more practical therapeutic approach for managing PAN symptoms.