Carbamazepine-induced hemolytic and aplastic crises associated with reduced glutathione peroxidase activity of erythrocytes.
Although pure red cell aplasia is a well-known side effect of carbamazepine treatment, intravascular hemolytic anemia is rare. We describe a 5-year-old boy who developed concurrent intravascular hemolytic anemia and erythroblastopenia, probably due to carbamazepine. Carbamazepine treatment was subsequently discontinued, and the patient was treated with red blood cell transfusions, haptoglobin, and methylprednisolone. His hematologic abnormalities were almost fully recovered within 2 weeks. Examination of the patient's and mother's erythrocyte enzyme activities revealed mildly decreased erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity. We speculate that patients with reduced GSH-Px activity are at a high risk of developing carbamazepine-induced hemolytic crisis and/or aplastic crisis.
Department of Pediatrics, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo 060-8543, Japan. ymasaki@sapmed.ac.jp
Masaki
M
Yamamoto
Nobuhiro
N
Suzuki
Naoki
N
Hatakeyama
Noriaki
N
Kubo
Nobutada
N
Tachi
Hitoshi
H
Kanno
Hisaichi
H
Fujii
Hiroyuki
H
Tsutsumi
D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000201:enzymology*; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D045022:Lactate Dehydrogenases / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D015394:Molecular Structure; D045262:Reticulocytosis / Q000187:drug effects
D002220:Carbamazepine; D045022:Lactate Dehydrogenases; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D001663:Bilirubin