A 50-year-old man on ICU develops new-onset thrombocytopenia (platelets fall from 180 to 38 × 10⁹/L over 3 days). He is not on heparin. The differenti...

Question

A 50-year-old man on ICU develops new-onset thrombocytopenia (platelets fall from 180 to 38 × 10⁹/L over 3 days). He is not on heparin. The differential diagnosis includes: DIC, sepsis-related thrombocytopenia, drug-induced thrombocytopenia, and TTP/HUS. Which laboratory test best distinguishes DIC from TTP?

Accepted Answer

Coagulation tests - in DIC, the PT, APTT, and fibrinogen are abnormal (consumption of coagulation factors), while in TTP, coagulation tests are typically NORMAL (thrombocytopenia is from platelet consumption in microthrombi, not coagulation factor consumption)

Answer

Platelet count alone

Answer

Full blood count

Answer

CRP

Answer

Blood cultures

uk-fficm MCQ (SBA): DIC vs TTP