Ticlopidine and fatal aplastic anemia in an elderly woman.
OBJECTIVE
To report a case of aplastic anemia that developed during ticlopidine treatment.


METHODS
An 84-year-old woman was started on ticlopidine for secondary stroke prevention. Within six weeks of initiating ticlopidine therapy she developed aplastic anemia. She was hospitalized and received empiric antibiotics, antifungal agents, blood transfusions, platelets, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. The patient died on day 76 after beginning ticlopidine.


CONCLUSIONS
Hematologic effects such as neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, agranulocytosis, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, and pancytopenia have been described with the use of ticlopidine. Previous case reports have associated ticlopidine with the development of aplastic anemia.


CONCLUSIONS
Ticlopidine can produce fatal hematologic adverse effects, and its use should be reserved as second-line therapy.
Mallet
L
L
Hôpital Mont Joli, Québec, Canada.
Mallet
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000139:chemically induced*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013988:Ticlopidine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D013988:Ticlopidine