Severe thrombocytopenia rare but potentially fatal in patients with Zika

Severe thrombocytopenia is a rare but potentially fatal outcome in patients with Zika virus infection, and treating such cases for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura may be more effective than platelet transfusion, a study found.

Researchers from the CDC and Puerto Rico Department of Health reviewed the medical records of patients diagnosed with Zika virus infection in 2016 in Puerto Rico, which was hit hard during the Zika epidemic.