A 40-year-old woman presents with a "skin rash." Questioning reveals easy bruising on minimal trauma, menorrhagia, and frequent| bouts of epistaxis. She is not taking any medications, and there is no history of toxic exposures. Physical examination reveals multiple petechial hemorrhages, most prominently on the dependent portions of the lower extremities. Splenomegaly is not detected. Laboratory studies reveal marked thrombocytopenia, and a bone marrow aspiration reveals increased numbers of megakaryocytes. Which of the following is the most likely mechanism of this disorder? Physical destruction of platelets while negotiating through partially block microvasculature. DIC with consumption of platelets and coagulation factors Myeloid stem cell suppression in bone marrow, with inability to produce platelets Intravascular spontaneous lysis of platelets due to increased osmotic fragility Antibody-mediated platelet destruction.

A 40-year-old woman presents with a "skin rash." Questioning reveals easy bruising on minimal trauma, menorrhagia, and frequent| bouts of epistaxis. She is not taking any medications, and there is no history of toxic exposures. Physical examination reveals multiple petechial hemorrhages, most prominently on the dependent portions of the lower extremities. Splenomegaly is not detected. Laboratory studies reveal marked thrombocytopenia, and a bone marrow aspiration reveals increased numbers of megakaryocytes. Which of the following is the most likely mechanism of this disorder? Physical destruction of platelets while negotiating through partially block microvasculature. DIC with consumption of platelets and coagulation factors Myeloid stem cell suppression in bone marrow, with inability to produce platelets Intravascular spontaneous lysis of platelets due to increased osmotic fragility Antibody-mediated platelet destruction.