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Postgraduate Medical Journal logoLink to Postgraduate Medical Journal
. 2004 Sep;80(947):551–552. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.2003.017178

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura associated with statin treatment

F Sundram 1, P Roberts 1, B Kennedy 1, S Pavord 1
PMCID: PMC1743097  PMID: 15356359

Abstract

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare condition but associated with 90% mortality if left untreated. The diagnosis is usually made when there is thrombocytopenia and microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, although the full pentad also includes fever, renal impairment, and neurological dysfunction. A variety of underlying causes have been implicated in acquired TTP including bacterial and viral infections, bone marrow and organ transplantation, pregnancy, immune disorders, and certain drugs. To date there is just one case report of TTP associated with statin treatment. The clinical course of a patient who presented with TTP after being started on simvastatin, a HMG-CoA inhibitor, is described.

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