THROMBOPENIC PURPURA DURING STREPTOMYCIN TREATMENT OF TUBERCULOUS EMPYEMA

Abstract

Incidence of severe toxic reactions in the hematopoietic systems of patients treated with streptomycin has been very small. The Central Streptomycin Committee of the Veterans Administration reported only 0.6%-2.3% of blood dyscrasias in 1,751 patients treated under streptomycin regimens in the federal hospitals.¹The great majority of these reactions consisted of relatively mild leukopenia and granulocytopenia; however, two cases of aplastic anemia apparently caused by streptomycin were reported by Deyke and Wallace.²A. M. Walker,³secretary of the Central Streptomycin Committee, informed us that he knew of no case of thrombopenic purpura occurring during the administration of streptomycin in any patient treated in the United States. In one patient with miliary tuberculosis treated with streptomycin by Feld⁴agranulocytosis developed. Benhamou and others⁵reported that in one child with tuberculous meningitis, treated with 2 gm. of streptomycin daily, agranulocytosis with purpura developed on the 30th day