Eosinophilic gastritis with idiopathic thrombocytopaenic purpura: coincidence or association?

A 70-year-old woman with a 3-year history of a nonhealing benign gastric ulcer developed spontaneous bruising and mouth ulceration. After haematological investigations, a diagnosis of idiopathic thrombocytopaenic purpura was made. At this stage, repeat biopsies of the gastric ulcer revealed features of eosinophilic gastritis. This is the first report of simultaneous diagnosis of idiopathic thrombocytopaenic purpura and eosinophilic gastritis. Both conditions are considered to be autoimmune induced and could be causally related. Oral steroid therapy led to a full recovery from both conditions.