Drug-induced thrombocytopenia: pathogenesis, evaluation, and management

Drug-induced thrombocytopenia: pathogenesis, evaluation, and management.

Although drugs are a common cause of acute immune-mediated thrombocytopenia in adults, the drug etiology is often initially unrecognized. Most cases of drug-induced thrombocytopenia (DITP) are caused by drug-dependent antibodies that are specific for the drug structure and bind tightly to platelets by their Fab regions but only in the presence of the drug. A comprehensive database of 1301 publi...

Drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia: pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management.

Drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia (DITP) can be triggered by a wide range of medications. Although many cases of DITP are mild, some are characterized by life-threatening bleeding symptoms. The pathogenesis of DITP is complex, in that at least six different mechanisms have been proposed by which drug-induced antibodies can promote platelet destruction. It is possible in many cases to identif...

Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia: Molecular Pathogenesis

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), a relatively common complication of heparin therapy, is characterized by an unexpected fall in platelet count occurring 5 days or more after the initiation of treatment.1,2 Patients who manifest only the thrombocytopenia rarely experience severe bleeding or other major adverse effects.3 Often, however, the thrombocytopenia is accompanied by arterial and/o...

Pregnancy-associated thrombocytopenia: pathogenesis and management.

Drug-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia

Copyright © 2007 Massachusetts Medical Society. Drug-induced thrombocytopenia can be caused by dozens, perhaps hundreds, of medications. Because thrombocytopenia can have many other causes, the diagnosis of drug-induced thrombocytopenia can easily be overlooked. On occasion, outpatients with drug-induced thrombocytopenia are treated for autoimmune thrombocytopenia and can have two or three recu...