Acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura following combined vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella.

Abstract

Acute idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is the most common bleeding disorder of childhood. Seventy percent of cases of acute ITP occur following viral illness. 1 Classically these infections include rubella, varicella, measles, and the Epstein-Barr virus.2 Acute ITP has also been reported after vaccination against poliomyelitis,3 measles,4-6 and rubella,7 (including combined measles-mumps-rubella [MMR] vaccination812), typhus-paratyphus,13 smallpox,14 and influenza and pneumococcal infections.15 The incidence of acute ITP following .MMR vaccination appears to be lower than that of acute ITP following natural rubella or measles infection.10,16-18 Nevertheless, the occurrence of acute ITP associated with .MMR vaccination is rare, and a limited amount of literature is published on the subject. This report describes a case of acute ITP developing 2 weeks after receiving the .MMR vaccine.