Case Report

An Unusual Cause of Splenomegaly and Thrombocytopenia in an Adult: Niemann-Pick Disease

Volume: 5 Number: 2 August 31, 2025
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An Unusual Cause of Splenomegaly and Thrombocytopenia in an Adult: Niemann-Pick Disease

Abstract

Niemann-Pick disease (NPD) is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder, most commonly presenting in infancy or childhood. Adult-onset cases are extremely uncommon and often diagnosed incidentally. We report a 34-year-old female referred to hematology after thrombocytopenia was detected during a preoperative evaluation. She had splenomegaly (spleen length: 200 mm), a history of childhood forgetfulness, and consanguineous parentage. Bone marrow aspiration revealed numerous sea-blue histiocytes and foam cells, highly suggestive of NPD. Enzymatic analysis demonstrated severely reduced acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) activity (0.3 nmol/mL/h; reference: 1.3–15), and genetic testing identified a homozygous c.416T>C (p.L139P) Class 2 mutation in the SMPD1 gene. The diagnosis of Niemann-Pick disease type A/B was confirmed. This case highlights the diagnostic value of bone marrow morphology in lysosomal storage disorders, especially when classical features such as hepatosplenomegaly and cytopenias are present in adults. NPD should be considered in the differential diagnosis of unexplained cytopenias and splenomegaly, particularly in regions with high rates of consanguinity.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Haematology

Journal Section

Case Report

Publication Date

August 31, 2025

Submission Date

July 19, 2025

Acceptance Date

August 28, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 5 Number: 2

APA
Kiper Ünal, H. D., & Çetintepe, T. (2025). An Unusual Cause of Splenomegaly and Thrombocytopenia in an Adult: Niemann-Pick Disease. Güncel Tıbbi Araştırmaları Dergisi, 5(2), 24-28. https://izlik.org/JA37MH42MT
AMA
1.Kiper Ünal HD, Çetintepe T. An Unusual Cause of Splenomegaly and Thrombocytopenia in an Adult: Niemann-Pick Disease. CJMR. 2025;5(2):24-28. https://izlik.org/JA37MH42MT
Chicago
Kiper Ünal, Hatice Demet, and Tuğba Çetintepe. 2025. “An Unusual Cause of Splenomegaly and Thrombocytopenia in an Adult: Niemann-Pick Disease”. Güncel Tıbbi Araştırmaları Dergisi 5 (2): 24-28. https://izlik.org/JA37MH42MT.
EndNote
Kiper Ünal HD, Çetintepe T (August 1, 2025) An Unusual Cause of Splenomegaly and Thrombocytopenia in an Adult: Niemann-Pick Disease. Güncel Tıbbi Araştırmaları Dergisi 5 2 24–28.
IEEE
[1]H. D. Kiper Ünal and T. Çetintepe, “An Unusual Cause of Splenomegaly and Thrombocytopenia in an Adult: Niemann-Pick Disease”, CJMR, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 24–28, Aug. 2025, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA37MH42MT
ISNAD
Kiper Ünal, Hatice Demet - Çetintepe, Tuğba. “An Unusual Cause of Splenomegaly and Thrombocytopenia in an Adult: Niemann-Pick Disease”. Güncel Tıbbi Araştırmaları Dergisi 5/2 (August 1, 2025): 24-28. https://izlik.org/JA37MH42MT.
JAMA
1.Kiper Ünal HD, Çetintepe T. An Unusual Cause of Splenomegaly and Thrombocytopenia in an Adult: Niemann-Pick Disease. CJMR. 2025;5:24–28.
MLA
Kiper Ünal, Hatice Demet, and Tuğba Çetintepe. “An Unusual Cause of Splenomegaly and Thrombocytopenia in an Adult: Niemann-Pick Disease”. Güncel Tıbbi Araştırmaları Dergisi, vol. 5, no. 2, Aug. 2025, pp. 24-28, https://izlik.org/JA37MH42MT.
Vancouver
1.Hatice Demet Kiper Ünal, Tuğba Çetintepe. An Unusual Cause of Splenomegaly and Thrombocytopenia in an Adult: Niemann-Pick Disease. CJMR [Internet]. 2025 Aug. 1;5(2):24-8. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA37MH42MT