The Impact of Azathioprine-Associated Lymphopenia on the Onset of Opportunistic Infections in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
- Marius Vögelin
- Luc Biedermann
- Pascal Frei
- Stephan R Vavricka
- Sylvie Scharl
- Jonas Zeitz
- Michael C Sulz
- Michael Fried
- Gerhard Rogler
- Michael Scharl
DOIAbstract
Thiopurines are known to cause lymphopenia (<1,500 lymphocytes/μl). As severe lymphopenia (<500C/μl) is associated with opportunistic infections, we investigated severity of thiopurine-related lymphopenia and development of opportunistic infections in our tertiary referral centre.We retrospectively screened medical records of 1,070 IBD patients and identified 100 individuals that developed a total of 161 episodes of lymphopenia during thiopurine treatment between 2002 and 2014. Occurrence of opportunistic infections was documented. A control group consisted of IBD patients receiving thiopurines but without developing lymphopenia.Of a total of 161 episodes of lymphopenia, 23% were severe (<500C/μl). In this subgroup, thiopurine dosing was mo...