Answer 4 Immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Immune thrombocytopenic purpura is a common cause of thrombocytopenia. The patient recently started taking quinine, a drug known to cause immune thrombocytopenic purpura. In cases of drug-induced thrombocytopenia, the drug acts as a hapten and the immune complexes deposit on the platelets, causing destruction of the platelets in the spleen. Click here to return to the questions

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