title: Treatment of pure red cell aplasia that is resistant to conventional immunosuppressive therapy with intermittent administration of methotrexate.
abstract: Two patients with pure red cell aplasia were treated with intermittent administration of methotrexate. One who was refractory to conventional immunosuppressive therapy showed a favorable response to methotrexate within 2 weeks of treatment and entered complete remission. The other also showed an increase in reticulocytes within 3 weeks of methotrexate treatment. Although continuous administration of methotrexate was abandoned in the second case because of its hepatotoxicity, our results suggest that methotrexate may be effective in patients with pure red cell aplasia refractory to conventional immunosuppressive therapy.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, National Defense Medical College, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Takatani
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosoi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shirafuji
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urabe
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Takaku
mesh_terms: D004351:Drug Resistance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D012010:Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D008727:Methotrexate