How I Diagnose and Manage HIT

How I diagnose and manage HIT.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a prothrombotic drug reaction caused by platelet-activating IgG antibodies that recognize platelet factor 4 (PF4)/polyanion complexes. Platelet activation assays, such as the serotonin-release assay, are superior to PF4-dependent immunoassays in discerning which heparin-induced antibodies are clinically relevant. When HIT is strongly suspected, standard...

How should we diagnose and manage photosensitivity?

How can we diagnose and manage twin-twin transfusion syndrome?

Severe mid-trimester twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTS) complicates about 15% of monochorionic twin pregnancies. If left untreated, the mortality is 80-100%. The pathophysiological prerequisite for the onset of TTS is unequal blood flow via arteriovenous placental anastomoses from the so-called donor to the recipient twin. This can result in hypovolemia, hypotension and oligo- or anuria in th...

How I diagnose and manage individuals at risk for inherited myeloid malignancies

Astute clinicians have reported familial clustering of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute leukemia (AL; MDS/AL) for decades. These physicians often described phenotypic features that are now known to be associated with specific genetically defined hereditary myeloidmalignancy syndromes (HMMSs).Why, then, is the diagnosis of HMMS only now starting to be considered in the evaluation of the ...

How I diagnose and manage individuals at risk for inherited myeloid malignancies

Astute clinicians have reported familial clustering of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute leukemia (AL; MDS/AL) for decades. These physicians often described phenotypic features that are now known to be associated with specific genetically defined hereditary myeloidmalignancy syndromes (HMMSs).Why, then, is the diagnosis of HMMS only now starting to be considered in the evaluation of the ...