International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy 2013-08-01

Thrombocytopenia associated with 5-aminosalicylate prodrug, olsalazine: is the devil still there?

Yuefeng Rao, Feiyue Zheng

Index: Int. J. Clin. Pharm. 35(4) , 529-31, (2013)

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Abstract

We present a case of a 63-year-old Chinese female who developed severe thrombocytopenia after receiving olsalazine 1.5 g daily for 3 months, and eventually culminated in hospital admission. According to a Medline search, this is the first case report of olsalazine-associated thrombocytopenia in Asia.Olsalazine, similar to other 5-aminosalicylates, can also cause thrombocytopenia. Clinicians should be aware of this potential adverse drug reaction. Future studies should focus on the trigger mechanism and possible cross-reaction between olsalazine and other aminosalicylates.