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Phenytoin-induced thrombocytopenia treated with intravenous immune globulin
1Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center, CA 90034, USA.
Purpose:
To describe the use of intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) in an 8-year-old girl with phenytoin-induced thrombocytopenia and leukopenia.
Patients And Methods:
An 8-year-old girl had fever, rash, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia 18 days after initiation of phenytoin therapy. The phenytoin level was elevated. She was treated with 1 g/kg of IVIG.
Results:
The thrombocytopenia improved dramatically after IVIG therapy. There was a slower response to the leukopenia.
Conclusions:
Phenytoin hypersensitivity can present with thrombocytopenia and leukopenia. Treatment with IVIG was associated with a rapid rise in the platelet count in the patient in this report. IVIG should be considered for patients with phenytoin-induced thrombocytopenia.
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