Open AccessPancitopenia inducida por azatioprina. Casos clínicos
Author(s) -
Martínez Faci C,
Ros Arnal,
Martínez de Zabarte Fernández Jm,
Sorribes Estorch J,
López Campos M,
Rodríguez-Vigil Iturrate C
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
archivos argentinos de pediatría
Language(s) - Spanish
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.236
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1668-3501
pISSN - 0325-0075
DOI - 10.5546/aap.2016.e252
Subject(s) - medicine , leukopenia , thiopurine methyltransferase , neutropenia , azathioprine , pancytopenia , gastroenterology , antibiotics , disease , chemotherapy , microbiology and biotechnology , bone marrow , biology
Azathioprine is an immunosuppressive drug that has shown effectiveness in inflammatory bowel disease treatment. Its metabolite, 6-mercaptopurine, is metabolized through thiopurine methyltransferase. Patients with low enzyme activity may have more frequent and severe side effects. The most common is leukopenia, and rarely pancytopenia. The thiopurine methyltransferase activity monitoring shows an individualized profile of enzymatic activity but it should not replace monitoring by performing serial blood counts. In patients with fever and severe neutropenia, early empirical antibiotic treatment should be initiated to prevent severe and disseminated infection. Two patients with this condition are reported.