title: A case of Crohn's disease with improvement after azathioprine-induced pancytopenia.
abstract: The immunosuppressant azathioprine (AZA) is widely used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for both inducing and maintaining remission. However, the adverse effects of AZA can often necessitate a dose reduction or discontinuation. Bone marrow suppression is one of the most serious complications with AZA treatment. On the other hand, some reports have suggested that neutropenia during AZA therapy reduced the relapse rates of IBD patients, and there have been some cases where eradication of the sensitized leukocytes by leukapheresis or bone marrow transplantation improved the IBD, which may explain the relevant role of neutropenia in controlling disease activity. This report describes the case of a 22-year-old male patient who had Crohn's colitis and complicated perianal fistulas that required immunosuppression; he achieved endoscopically determined remission and showed accelerated mucosal healing as well as clinical remission following the AZA-induced pancytopenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Daehang Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Sung
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jung Pil
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Kee Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Jae Bum
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Doo Seok
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: In Taek
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Do Sun
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Doo Han
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Lee