Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia complicated by maternal autoimmune thrombocytopenia.

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia should be suspected in any thrombocytopenic infant born to a healthy non-thrombocytopenic mother. Nevertheless, the condition occurs in only 1 or 2/10 000 births.' More often transient neonatal immune thrombocytopenia results from maternal idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. We report the coexistence of alloimmunisation and autoimmunisation against platelets in a mother who delivered two infants with transient thrombocytopenia. Such a case has not been described before. Detailed serological analysis was facilitated by the platelet suspension immunofluorescence test. This test is based on the observation that aspecific fluorescence can be prevented by fixing the platelets with paraformaldehyde.2