Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2022 Jan 14;14(1):e21232.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.21232. eCollection 2022 Jan.

Acute Isolated Thrombocytopenia Secondary to Meloxicam Use: A Case Report

Nardine Abdelsayed  1 , Michael Frost  1 , William R Betz  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Acute Isolated Thrombocytopenia Secondary to Meloxicam Use: A Case Report

Nardine Abdelsayed et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Meloxicam is a widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is used to treat pain and some inflammatory disorders. One rare side effect is drug-induced thrombocytopenia (DITP), which can result in hemorrhage and death if not treated urgently. This diagnosis can be missed if mistaken for other conditions such as ITP, which is problematic since the mainstay of treatment is medication cessation. We present a case of a 42-year-old Hispanic female who was recently started on meloxicam and presented with petechiae, ecchymosis, and a platelet count of 2 (normal 150-350 K/mm3).

Keywords: bleeding disorders; drug-induced thrombocytopenia; isolated thrombocytopenia; meloxicam; nsaids.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Extensive ecchymosis on the right upper extremity
Figure 2
Figure 2. Lower extremities showing petechiae and purpura
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. NSAID induced gastrointestinal damage and designing GI-sparing NSAIDs. García-Rayado G, Navarro M, Lanas A. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol. 2018;11:1031–1043. - PubMed
    1. The cardiovascular pharmacology of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Grosser T, Ricciotti E, FitzGerald GA. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2017;38:733–748. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cyclooxygenase-2 selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (etodolac, meloxicam, celecoxib, rofecoxib, etoricoxib, valdecoxib and lumiracoxib) for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and economic evaluation. Chen YF, Jobanputra P, Barton P, Bryan S, Fry-Smith A, Harris G, Taylor RS. Health Technol Assess. 2008;12:1-278, iii. - PubMed
    1. Drug-induced thrombocytopenia: pathogenesis, evaluation, and management. George JN, Aster RH. Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. 2009:153–158. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Acute thrombocytopenic purpura due to meloxicam. . Ranieri MM, Bradley EF, Simon AB, et al. https://www.japi.org/w264e434/acute-thrombocytopenic-purpura-due-to-melo... 2003;51:531–532. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources