Q. A 20-year-old male presents to the emergency department with a fever, sore throat, and fatigue for the past week. He reports experiencing intermittent fevers and chills, as well as muscle aches and headaches. He denies any recent travel or sick contacts but does report recent intimate contact with a new sexual partner.
On physical examination, the patient appears tired and has enlarged lymph nodes in his neck and armpits. His throat is red and inflamed, and he has white spots on his tonsils. The rest of the physical examination is unremarkable. A complete blood count and blood smear analysis (see image) reveals a slightly elevated white blood cell count with an increased number of atypical lymphocytes. A monospot test is performed, which comes back positive for infectious mononucleosis.
The patient is advised to rest, stay hydrated, and take over-the-counter pain relievers as needed for symptomatic relief. Which of the following is the LEAST likely complication of this patient’s diagnosis?