Splenic peliosis with spontaneous splenic rupture in a patient with immune thrombocytopenia treated with danazol

Abstract

We present a 79-year-old man diagnosed with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), treated with danazol, who died as a result of a spontaneously ruptured spleen. The histopathological diagnosis was splenic peliosis. This patient presents a chronological association between the treatment with danazol and the development of peliosis, which suggests a clear cause-effect relationship. Facing an individual patient with ITP, clinicians should weigh the potential benefits of danazol with the possible development of serious complications, such as hepatic failure or splenic rupture due to peliosis.