Thrombocytopenia - drug induced

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Blood clot formation

Blood clots

Thrombocytopenia is any disorder in which there are not enough platelets. Platelets are cells in the blood that help the blood clot. A low platelet count makes bleeding more likely.

When drugs or medications are the causes of a low platelet count, it is called drug-induced thrombocytopenia.

See also: Thrombocytopenia

Drug-induced thrombocytopenia

Drug-induced thrombocytopenia occurs when certain drugs or medications destroy platelets or interfere with the body's ability to make enough of them.

There are two types of drug-induced thrombocytopenia:

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• Immune
• Nonimmune

If a drug causes your body to produce antibodies, which seek and destroy your platelets, the condition is called drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia. Heparin, a blood thinner, is probably the most common cause of drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia.

If a medicine prevents your bone marrow from making enough platelets, the condition is called drug-induced nonimmune thrombocytopenia. Chemotherapy drugs and a seizure medication called valproic acid may lead to this problem.

Other drugs that cause drug-induced thrombocytopenia include:

• Furosemid
• Gold, used to treat arthritis
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Penicillin
• Quinidine
• Quinine
• Ranitidine
• Sulfonamides

Review Date: 06/13/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).