Priapism as the Presenting Complaint in Fatal Group A Streptococcal Induced Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation.

A 60-year-old male presented to an emergency department (ED) with priapism following a sore throat illness. He did not have typical findings of sepsis. The patient then developed severe headache, mental status changes, and hypertension, then suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest. Autopsy showed group A streptococcal (GAS) sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and a septic thrombosis to the penile vein. This is the first known case of priapism being the presenting symptom of DIC.