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A Case of Ulcerative Colitis with Prolonged Remission Following Azathioprine-Induced Pancytopenia
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Jun Seok Lee, Young Sook Park, Nam In Kim, Yoon Ju Jo, Seung Hwan Kim, Han Hyo Lee, Moon Hee Song, Dae Won Jun
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Intest Res 2008;6(1):85-89. Published online June 30, 2008
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Abstract
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- Azathioprine (AZA) is widely used for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Bone marrow suppression is a common side effect with AZA treatment. However, data from AZA trials has indicated that a leukocyte count less than 5,000/mm3 was a good predictor of induction and maintenance of remission. Moreover, there is evidence that eradication of sensitized leukocytes by leukapheresis or bone marrow transplantation improves inflammatory bowel disease. We report a case of a patient who had a chronic relapse of ulcerative colitis requiring the frequent use of systemic steroids, but presented prolonged remission following AZA-induced severe pancytopenia. Also colonoscopy showed accelerated healing of diffuse active ulcers following just recovery from pancytopenia. (Intest Res 2008;6:85-89)
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