Journal of Clinical Case Reports

A Young Gentleman with Pancytopenia and Microfilariasis: Report of the First Case in Qatar

Abstract

Shireen Suliman, Mehdi Errayes, Aliaa Amer, Omar Alseed, Amna Gameil, Maisa Bashir and Anil Ellahie

Filariasis is an endemic disease in many countries of Asia and Africa. It results in disfiguring lymphedema. A young gentleman presented with dizziness and found to have pancytopenia; an RBC count of 1.2 × 106/μl, Hemoglobin (Hb) of 3.6 g/dl, Total Leucocyte Count (TLC) of 3.9 × 103/ μl and platelet count of 7.0 × 103/μl. Examination of the peripheral smear, revealed the presence of microfilaria which was identified as Wuchereria bancrofti with the characteristic sheath and tail devoid of nuclei. Bone marrow revealed a picture of hypoplastic marrow with no evidence of microflaira parasite. He was started on Ivermectin 9 mg stat dose and Doxycycline 100 mg orally twice daily. His hemoglobin became stable after transfusion and platelets continued to drop. The patient continued to receive platelets transfusion till he decided to travel back to his home country and lost follow up after that. This is one of the few case reports demonstrating the rare association of pancytopenia and microfilariasis and it adds to the previous reports that it raises the awareness of both the physicians and the laboratory staff to the occurrence of this important association in a non-endemic area.