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For the first time, scientists at the University of North Carolina have found a link between a life-threatening blood clotting disorder and an adenovirus infection.
Adenovirus is one of the most common respiratory viruses affecting both adults and children, causing cold and flu-like symptoms.
Viral infections, as well as autoimmune diseases and other conditions, can cause levels of platelets in the blood to drop – known as thrombocytopenia.
Platelets, or thrombocytes, are a vital part of the blood – responsible for forming blood clots, which stop you bleeding out when you’re injured.
“This adenovirus-associated disorder is now one of four recognised anti-PF4 (anti-platelet factor 4) disorders,” said Dr Stephen Moll, professor of medicine at the university’s Department of Medicine’s Division of Hematology, said.
“We hope that our findings will lead to earlier diagnosis, appropriate and optimised treatment, and better outcomes in patients who develop this life-threatening disorder.”
The latest findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, sheds new light on how the virus can play a role in causing an anti-platelet factor 4 disorder.
The discovery paves the way for new avenues of research to understand why and how this condition occurs, the scientists said.
