A case of thrombocytopenia associated with the use of hydroxychloroquine following open heart surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Thrombocytopenia is a common problem occurring in patients and drug-induced thrombocytopenia is a significant cause of thrombocytopenia. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present an unusual case of thrombocytopenia that was considered to be associated with the use of hydroxychloroquine in the late term following open heart surgery. DISCUSSION: The drug-induced thrombocytopenia, mechanical destruction of the platelets, and hemodilution are common causes of low platelet count. Although drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia has a mild clinical course in most cases (in this case it has severe clinical course), some patients may experience life-threatening hemorrhages. The decision to discontinue the drug that is deemed to be responsible from the drug-induced thrombocytopenia (DITP) relies on the clinical condition of the patient. The diagnosis is mostly established by discontinuation, exclusion, and correlation because the tests performed to detect drug-dependent antibodies (DDAbs) for the diagnosis of DITP are time-consuming, and these tests are also not commonly available. The authors of the current study diagnosed DITP by discontinuation of the drug. We suggest that the use of hydroxychloroquine could be severe thrombocytopenia occurring after open heart surgery. CONCLUSION: The medication history must be carefully reviewed in patients presenting with thrombocytopenia, and if the medications could cause thrombocytopenia must be discontinued.

Cephalometric evaluation of patients with Sagliker syndrome: uglifying human face appearance in severe and late secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal failure patients.

It is well known that secondary hyperparathyroidism may be an extremely severe condition in chronic renal failure, and almost all patients with chronic kidney disease, even in the well-developed countries, encounter every kind of bone abnormalities if they are not treated properly. Although some sporadic cases have been reported of unique facial bone changes, the largest collection of this phenomenon has been reported by Sagliker et al. We also have found 6 of 9 patients who have these changes (Sagliker syndrome) to manifest class II malocclusion of the upper and lower jaws according to dental universally accepted criteria by performing cephalometric studies, x-ray plain films, tomographic procedures, and drawing technology.

Neurologic manifestations in Sagliker syndrome: uglifying human face appearance in severe and late secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal failure patients.

Patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) often have signs and symptoms related to fluid and electrolyte disturbances, anemia, malnutrition, bone disease, and gastrointestinal problems. Vascular and neurologic impairment in particular remain an important source of morbidity and mortality in this vulnerable patient population. Sagliker syndrome is a novel syndrome that was recently described in 2004 in patients with CRF and severe and late secondary hyperparathyroidism who suffered from severe skull and facial bone changes, particularly from uglifying human face appearances and neuropsychiatric disorders. The goal of this study was to assess neuropsychiatric manifestations occurring in CRF patients with Sagliker syndrome. Four female and 8 male patients with CRF on regular dialysis at the hemodialysis units of the Internal Medicine Departments around southern Turkey participated in the study. All patients underwent a clinical neurologic examination performed by the same neurologist. Neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms were found in all cases. The results showed that the most frequent neurologic manifestations in CRF patients with Sagliker syndrome were headache, polyneuropathy, cranial neuropathy, fatigue, and psychiatric disorders.