THROMBOPENIC PURPURA FOLLOWING USE OF DIGITOXIN

Abstract

Blood dyscrasias are common complications of the use of numerous medicaments. Recently, severe thrombopenic purpura developed in a patient under my care who had rheumatic carditis. Ultimately this hemorrhagic state was shown to be caused by digitoxin. A thorough survey of the literature and of several papers on digitoxin toxicity¹failed to reveal a single instance of the association of thrombopenic purpura with use of digitoxin. <h3>REPORT OF A CASE</h3> The patient, a woman, aged 70, was first seen at the clinic on March 18, 1950, with complete congestive heart failure. She had had several attacks of a disease called "inflammatory rheumatism" during her childhood, but careful questioning disclosed that in the attacks several joints were swollen, red, and painful in succession, symptoms indicating typical migrating polyarthritis. She was treated, as was the custom 50 years ago, with poultices and pills and was allowed out of bed as soon