Successful management of a Jehovah's Witness with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura unwilling to be treated with therapeutic plasma exchange.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a life-threatening disease treated successfully with plasma exchange. Jehovah's Witnesses whose religious beliefs preclude them from accepting plasma exchange may require alternative forms of therapy. We report a case of one such patient who presented with TTP, whom we successfully managed with vincristine and responded favorably without the need for plasma exchange. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.