Edta‐dependent pseudothrombocytopenia: A clinical study of 18 patients and a review of the literature

Abstract

EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia (EDTA-PTCP) is the phenomenon of a spurious low platelet count due to the appearance of antibodies that cause platelet agglutination in blood anticoagulated with EDTA. We review here the clinical features of 18 patients with EDTA-PTCP treated in our hospital from 1984 to 1987 as well as those of 34 patients reported in the literature. This phenomenon appears more frequently in severely ill patients, in association with autoimmune, neoplastic, atherosclerosis-related, and liver diseases. In the majority of our patients, EDTA-PTCP appeared during hospitalization, indicating that the antibody is an acquired one. Neither splenomegaly nor the presence of autoimmune markers were features of this entity. Unlike true thrombocytopenias, EDTA-PTCP is associated with a normal mean platelet volume. Awareness of this entity is essential since EDTA-PTCP is frequently misdiagnosed and therefore incorrectly treated.

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA)-Induced Thrombocytopenia: A Case Report

“…EDTA induced thrombocytopenia (also referred to as EDTA-induced Pseudothrombocytopenia (EDTA-PTCP) is a phenomenon caused by EDTA-dependent anti-platelet auto-antibodies that recognize platelet antigens modified by EDTA [4][5][6][7][8][9]. These antiplatelet antibodies, usually IgG or IgM, and rarely IgA, recognize platelet antigens on the platelet membrane modified by EDTA [10][11][12][13].…”

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia associated with neuroendocrine carcinoma: A case report

“…EDTA-PTCP has been identified in healthy subjects and patients with various conditions, including gastrectomy, autoimmune diseases, liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases and viral infections (4,5,(10)(11)(12)(13)(14). EDTA-PTCP has also been reported in association with neoplastic diseases, including breast cancer and multiple myeloma (6,7).…”

EDTA-Dependent Pseudothrombocytopenia and Unnecessary Transfusion in a Patient with Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

“…Hastaya refrakter trombositopeni tanısıyla steroid tedavisi verildi. Ancak genel durumu çok iyi olmasına rağmen trombositopenisi sürdüğünden tedavinin beşinci gününde periferik kan yayması yapıldı ve her alanda [10][11][12] …”

“…Kan tüpünde trombosit kümelenmesini engellemek üzere sitrat, sodyum okzalat, kanamisin, teofilin, heparin ve paraformaldehid + sitrat kullanılmıştır (12)(13)(14). Ancak EDTA'ya bağlı psö-dotrombositopenili hastaların bir kısmında sitrat, okzalat ve kanamisinle de trombosit kümelenmesinin engellenemediği-ni bildiren yayınlar vardır (7,(13)(14)(15).…”