Thrombocytopenia associated with environmental exposure to polyurethane

Journal Article · Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · American Journal of Hematology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.2830380215· OSTI ID:6052157

Michelson, A D ^[1]

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1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester (United States)

Few chemicals in the environment have been implicated as causes of isolated thrombocytopenia, and the evidence is usually less than convincing because the patients were not rechallenged with the chemical in vivo. In the present paper, a child is reported with the onset of thrombocytopenia in temporal association with environmental exposure to polyurethane. Five years after the initial thrombocytopenia had resolved, an inadvertent in vivo rechallenge with environmental polyurethane resulted in recurrence of the thrombocytopenia. This recurrence, together with the fact that only 1-4% of cases of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in children recur, provided strong evidence for a causal role for the polyurethane exposure in this patient's thrombocytopenia. In summary, environmental exposure to polyurethane should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acquired thrombocytopenia in childhood.

• OSTI ID: 6052157
• Journal Information: American Journal of Hematology; (United States), Vol. 38:2; ISSN 0361-8609
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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