Blood, 1962, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 23-37.
© 1962 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Autoimmune Thrombocytopenic Purpura ("ITP" Type)
with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
SHIRLEY EBBE 1,
BENJAMIN WITTELS 1, and
WILLIAM DAMESHEK 1
1 Blood Research Laboratory, a unit of the Ziskind Laboratories, Pratt Clinic-New England Center Hospital and the Department of Medicine, Tufts University School
of Medicine, Boston, Mass.
Five cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia complicated by thrombocytopenic purpura are presented. They differed from the usual cases with this
complication in that megakaryocytes were plentiful in spite of leukemic involvement of the bone marrow. Hypersplenism did not appear to be a factor.
The evidence suggests that the thrombocytopenia was of an autoimmune
nature, due to antiplatelet antibodies. Brief platelet survival times, the presence
of a platelet agglutinin, staining of megakaryocytes by fluorescein-labeled
anti-human globulin, and responses to corticosteroids were demonstrated.
Submitted on March 6, 1961
Accepted on September 28, 1961
