Abstract
A 9-year-old girl developed clinical manifestations of rubella on May 20, 1974. The skin eruptions faded away by the fourth day of the disease. On the eighth day petechial bleeding was first noted on the lower extremities with an accompaniment of moderate epistaxis. Because these hemorrhagic manifestations tended to aggravate, she was hospitalized on June 12. She had no history of purpura and had taken on drugs in the preceding months. Generalized petechial bleeding with an involvement of oral mucosa and superficial lymphadenopathy were found on physical examination. Platelet count was 20,000/cmm. Neither anemia nor hepatosplenomegaly was present.
Rapid resorption of the petechiae ensued without any particular treatments. At the same time platelet count started to recover gradually and attained normal level in two months.
The preceding infection was confirmed as rubella by the high antibody titer in her serum. From the close clinical correlation, the marked thrombocytopenia observed in this patient was considered to be related with rubella virus infection.
