[Idiosyncratic drug-induced agranulocytosis]

Pre-treatment Neutropenia in Children and Adolescents with Autoimmune Hyperthyroidism

OBJECTIVE

Neutropenia can occur in untreated autoimmune hyperthyroidism (AIH) or in association with treatment with the anti-thyroid drug, methimazole (MMI). Starting MMI in children and adolescents with AIH and pre-existing neutropenia could thus be worrisome. The aim was to describe the prevalence of neutropenia in pediatric AIH, prior to antithyroid drug therapy and to assess the effect of antithyroid drugs on neutrophil count.

METHODS

Patients with AIH attending a pediatric endocrinology clinic were retrospectively reviewed. Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) data at presentation and during anti-thyroid treatment for up to 24 weeks was collected. AIH was defined as elevated free thyroxine (fT4) or free tri-iodothyronine (fT3), suppressed thyroid stimulating hormone, and positive thyroid autoantibodies. Neutropenia was defined as ANC <1500 cells/μL.

RESULTS

Thirty-one patients (71% female) were included with a median interquartile range (IQR) age of 14.71 (11.89-17.10) years. Neither fT4 nor fT3 levels correlated with ANC at presentation (r_s=0.22, p=0.24 and r_s=0.13, p=0.54, respectively). 26/31 (84%) had normal baseline ANC. None developed neutropenia with thionamides. 5/31 (16%) had baseline neutropenia (median ANC 1,200/μL; IQR 874-1200). Four of these five started MMI at diagnosis while one was started on propranolol only but MMI was started one week later. All five normalized ANC within 24 weeks.

CONCLUSION

In this cohort, 16% of AIH patients had neutropenia at presentation, but this resolved in the short term and did not worsen with thionamides. Thionamides may be used with caution in these patients with close monitoring of blood counts.

Idiosyncratic Drug-Induced Neutropenia and Agranulocytosis in Elderly Patients

Agranulocytosis is a rare, but serious and life-threatening hematologic disorder in elderly patients. Idiosyncratic drug-induced agranulocytosis (IDIA) has been classically defined by a neutrophil count below 0.5 × 10⁹/L. The annual incidence of IDIA in Europe is about 1.6–9.2 cases per million inhabitants. Increasing age and female sex have been considered as risk factors for the development of this condition. Besides, it is well known that older people take on average more drugs than younger people. This condition is most often associated with the intake of antibacterial agents, antiplatelets, antithyroids, antipsychotics, antiepileptics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Initially, agranulocytosis may present without symptoms, but may quickly progress to a severe infection and sepsis. The causative drug should be immediately stopped. In febrile patients, blood cultures and where indicated, site-specific cultures should be obtained and early treatment with empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics started. Even with adequate treatment, the mortality rate is higher in elderly patients reaching up to 20%. Hematopoietic growth factors have proven to be useful as they shorten the duration of neutropenia. However, data on neutropenia and agranulocytosis in the elderly meeting the criteria of evidence-based medicine are still poor in the literature. This review analyzes the results of our experience as well as other published studies of the universal literature.

Antithyroid drug induced a granulocytosis: what still we need to learn?

Antithyroid drugs (ATDs) induced agranulocytosis is a rare but life threatening condition. We report a 29 years Filipino female diagnosed as having hyperthyroidism with normal base line blood counts, liver and renal profile. She was started on maximum 60mg (20mg TID) oral dose of carbimazole since one month by her treating physician. Exactly after one month of treatment she presented to emergency room (ER) with fever, sore throat and generalized weakness for several days.

[Pediatric perioperative systemic pain therapy: Austrian interdisciplinary recommendations on pediatric perioperative pain management]

BACKGROUND

Many analgesics used in adult medicine are not licensed for pediatric use. Licensing limitations do not, however, justify that children are deprived of a sufficient pain therapy particularly in perioperative pain therapy. The treatment is principally oriented to the strength of the pain. Due to the degree of pain caused, intramuscular and subcutaneous injections should be avoided generally.

NON-OPIOIDS

The basis of systemic pain therapy for children are non-opioids and primarily non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They should be used prophylactically. The NSAIDs are clearly more effective than paracetamol for acute posttraumatic and postoperative pain and additionally allow economization of opioids. Severe side effects are rare in children but administration should be carefully considered especially in cases of hepatic and renal dysfunction or coagulation disorders. Paracetamol should only be taken in pregnancy and by children when there are appropriate indications because a possible causal connection with bronchial asthma exists. To ensure a safe dosing the age, body weight, duration of therapy, maximum daily dose and dosing intervals must be taken into account. Dipyrone is used in children for treatment of visceral pain and cholic. According to the current state of knowledge the rare but severe side effect of agranulocytosis does not justify a general rejection for short-term perioperative administration.

OPIOIDS

In cases of insufficient analgesia with non-opioid analgesics, the complementary use of opioids is also appropriate for children of all age groups. They are the medication of choice for episodes of medium to strong pain and are administered in a titrated form oriented to effectiveness. If severe pain is expected to last for more than 24 h, patient-controlled anesthesia should be implemented but requires a comprehensive surveillance by nursing personnel.

KETAMINE

Ketamine is used as an adjuvant in postoperative pain therapy and is recommended for use in pediatric sedation and analgosedation.

Antithyroid drugs induced agranulocytosis and multiple myeloma: case report and general considerations

Antithyroid drugs as thionamides are largely used in the treatment of the thyrotoxicosis. Side effects were reported in less than 10% of the cases, especially hematological, hepatic or skin allergies. One of the most severe manifestations is agranulocytosis, probably based on an immune mechanism that is exacerbated by the presence of the thyroid autoimmune disease itself. If the presence of the severe leucopenia is actually an epiphenomenon of a preexisting hematological disturbance as multiple myeloma is debated. The myeloma may also be correlated with an autoimmune predisposition. We present the case of a 56 years old female patient diagnosed with Graves’ disease, who developed agranulocytosis after 8 months of therapy with thiamazole. Two months after antithyroid drug’s withdrawal, the granulocytes number increased and she received therapy with radioiodine. Two years later she came back for diffuse bone pain that turned out to be caused by a multiple myeloma, confirmed by bone marrow biopsy. It might be a connection between the severe form of leucopenia that the patient developed and the medullar malignancy.