A 41-year-old woman with renal failure secondary to microscopic polyangiitis presents to the physician with epistaxis for the past two weeks. Laboratory studies show:
Hemoglobin: 9.1 g/dL
Platelet count: 190,000/μL
Bleeding time: 8 minutes
Prothrombin time: 13 seconds
Partial thromboplastin time: 33 seconds
Blood urea nitrogen: 84 mg/dL
Creatinine: 4.8 mg/dL
Which of the following is the most likely explanation for this patient’s epistaxis?
Acquired platelet dysfunction
Anti-platelet antibodies (IIb/IIIa)
Anti-platelet antibodies (Ib)
Erythropoietin deficiency
Immune complex deposition
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Cut-to-the-chase Answer (0:48):
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HY USMLE Answer (6:38):
