Thrombocytopenia complicating infectious hepatitis.

: A patient of 50 years is admitted to hospital. He is found to be suffering from infectious hepatitis complicated by thrombocytopenia, the initial platelet count being 10 000 per mul soon falling to 2000 per mul. A prompt increase in the number of platelets is seen during treatment with prednisone, but a sudden fall is observed after a gradual reduction of prednisone to zero, the reaction for hepatitis associated antigen at that point still being positive. After a renewed therapy with adrenocortical steroid, the platelet count is within normal limits, and the patient is discharged with a small dose of prednisone. At the time of discharging, the HAA reaction had been negative for 3 weeks. After treatment with a small dose of prednisone for 2 months, the patient was taken into hospital. In the course of one week the dose of prednisone was gradually reduced without any fall in the platelet count. The possibility of lysis of a platelet-virus antigen as an explanation of thrombocytopenia complicating infectious hepatitis is discussed.