Coincidence of Glanzmann's thrombasthenia with hereditary haemorrhagic telengiectasia in a man with gastrointestinal bleeding

Abstract

Here we report a case of a 57-year-old man referred to our hospital with weakness, lethargy, melena, and rectorrhalgia. His physical examination and past medical history showed gingival bleeding, several episodes of epistaxis and post-surgery bleeding. Primary laboratory evaluation revealed only anaemia. Gastrointestinal findings including upper endoscopy and colonoscopy documented normal status, but balloon endoscopy illustrated telengiectasia-like lesions in the mid-jejunum. The case was suspected to be haemophilia due to the past medical history, although complete haemostatic evaluation demonstrated Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. The diagnosis of co-occurrence of hereditary haemorrhagic telengiectasia and Glanzmann's thrombasthenia was confirmed. This case revealed the coincidence of two bleeding tendencies, which, although rare, is a possible phenomenon. We recommend carrying out both primary and secondary haemostatic profiles for every patient with bleeding diathesis.

Glanzmann’s thrombasthenia with spontaneous upper gastrointestinal bleeding: a case report

“…9 Because the clinical features of GT involving digestive tract hemorrhage are similar to those of bleeding caused by common gastrointestinal diseases, GT tends to be misdiagnosed. 10 Previous studies have shown that upper gastrointestinal bleeding occurs intermittently and that the amount of bleeding can become massive and difficult to control, similar to our case. Furthermore, patients with GT who develop spontaneous gastrointestinal hemorrhage often also have gastrointestinal diseases such as gastroduodenal ulcers, alimentary tract polyps, or Helicobacter pylori infection.…”

Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia with Involuntary Upper and Lower GI Bleeding: A Case Report

“…In patients with GT, bleeding occasionally improves with age [8]. Because the clinical signs of GT, which involve bleeding from the digestive tract, resemble those of bleeding caused by common gastrointestinal disorders, GT is frequently undiagnosed [9]. According to earlier research, upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding can be enormous and challenging to manage, as it occurred intermittently in our case.…”