I had a patient with an unexplained
neutropenia today. The diagnosis was “multiple sclerosis on cladribine”.
Taken orally as Mavenclad,
it is prescribed for adults with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis to
reduce the frequency and severity of relapses. However Cladribine is also used
in lymphoid neoplasms. It mimics the nucleoside deoxyadenosine but resists
breakdown by the enzyme adenosine deaminase, causing it to accumulate inside
lymphocytes and interfere with DNA synthesis and repair.
Common side effects include a reduced
white blood cell count and an increased risk of viral infections such as
shingles or oral herpes.
And it can cause neutropenia too.
No comments:
Post a Comment