Pancytopenia




(1)
Departments of Internal Medicine & Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

 



It is defined as a decrease in all blood cell lines resulting in anemia , neutropenia , and thrombocytopenia .


Pathology


There is a deficiency of hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow due to direct toxicity by external agents, immune destruction of stem cells, or bone marrow replacement by malignancy or fibrosis. Rarely, pancytopenia is congenital.


Etiology


Acquired pancytopenia is due to drugs (sulfonamides, anticonvulsants), viral infections, and autoimmune disease. It is an expected side effect of chemotherapeutic treatment.


Psychotropic Medications and Pancytopenia


It is an extremely rare idiosyncratic reaction to psychotropic agents [1]. There are case reports with carbamazepine , valproate , olanzapine , and clozapine .

When it does occur, it can be severe and life threatening. It can be seen within a few days of starting the medication . Stopping the medication rapidly brings the blood counts back to normal.

Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue

Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel

Jun 25, 2017 | Posted by in PSYCHOLOGY | Comments Off on Pancytopenia

Full access? Get Clinical Tree

Get Clinical Tree app for offline access