Haematology
Case 14: A Patient with a Nose Bleed and Bruising
CASE
A 40‐year‐old man attends A&E with a nose bleed. He has had occasional nose bleeds in the past but this one has lasted for 2 hours. He has also noticed some bruises over his arms and legs and a rash developing over his ankles. On examination, a petechial rash is evident over his legs and there are numerous bruises over his whole body. He has a temperature of 36.9°C. Cardiovascular, respiratory and abdominal examination is normal.
His blood results are as follows:
Hb 8.3 g/dL WBC 3.2 × 109/L Platelets 18 × 109/L CRP <8 mg/L PT 32 sec (normal range 12–14) APTT 55 sec (normal range 22–34) Fibrinogen 0.4 (normal range 1.5–4)
Biochemistry and liver function tests normal.
QUESTION 1
Your score this session: 0 of 0
What is the significance of the blood film comment?