Cerebral infarction associated with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in a patient with encephalitis

Abstract

We report a patient who had cerebral infarction associated with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) during treatment of aseptic encephalitis. In patients with intracranial inflammation, such as ours, the possibility of HIT has to be considered when heparin is used, since inflammatory cerebral lesions often cause vascular damage, which is an aggravating factor for HIT-associated thrombosis. © 2009 The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine.