Petechiae in the newborn: A sign to consider
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25753/BirthGrowthMJ.v32.i2.25163Keywords:
aloimune, neonatal, thrombocytopeniaAbstract
Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT) occurs when the mother develops antiplatelet antibodies against fetal platelets and is confirmed by the presence of maternal antihuman platelet antibodies.
A full-term newborn from a first pregnancy without complications was routinely examined on the first day of life. The newborn appeared well and had multiple petechiae on the axillary, inguinal, and popliteal folds and on the lower abdomen, with no other findings. Blood work revealed thrombocytopenia of 28,000/ul with a normal remaining hemogram and negative C-reactive protein. Because of the suspicion of NAIT, an intravenous dose of immunoglobulin was administered with a subsequent increase in platelet count. The diagnosis was confirmed on day 5 with the detection of maternal antiplatelet anti-HPA-1a alloantibodies.
A thorough physical examination of the newborn is essential, as some serious conditions may present with subtle changes. NAIT should be considered in the differential diagnosis of isolated petechiae of the newborn.
Downloads
References
Caraciolo JF. Neonatal immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. UpToDate, Post, TW (Ed), UpToDate, Waltham, MA, 2020.
Kamphuis MM, Paridaans NP, Porcelijn L, Lopriore E, Oepkes D. Incidence and consequences of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia: a systematic review. Pediatrics. 2014;133(4):715-21.
Peterson JA, McFarland JG, Curtis BR, Aster RH. Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia: pathogenesis, diagnosis and management. Br J Haematol. 2013;161(1):3-14.
Mella MT, Eddleman K. Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia. International Journal of Clinical Transfusion Medicine. 2015;3:29-40.
Consenso Clínico “Trombocitopenia no recém-nascido” - Sociedade Portuguesa de Neonatologia. (2013). Retrieved October 26, 2021, from https://www.spneonatologia.pt/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2013-Trombocitopenia.pdf.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Maria João Gaia, Mariana Capela, Joana Brandão Silva, Rui Pinto
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in the Birth and Growth Medical Journal are Open Access and meet the requirements of funding agencies and academic institutions. Third-party use of published content is permitted under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license. It is the responsibility of authors to obtain permission for reproducing figures, tables, or other materials from previously published works.
Authors must submit a Conflict of Interest statement and an Authorship Form together with their manuscript. A confirmation email will be sent to the corresponding author upon receipt of the submission. Authors are also permitted to deposit their articles in institutional or personal repositories, provided that the original publication in the Birth and Growth Medical Journal is clearly indicated and the terms of the Creative Commons license are respected.
