Cefepime: a novel cause of thrombocytopaenia

Thrombocytopaenia is a commonly encountered finding in hospitalised patients. Many antibiotics, especially beta-lactams, are well known to cause thrombocytopaenia by an immune-mediated mechanism. We present a 55-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital with a complicated urinary tract infecti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ case reports 2022-01, Vol.15 (1), p.e243749
Main Authors: Muhammad, Shoaib, Ahmad, Soban, Khan, Behram Ahmed, Yousaf, Amman
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anti-Bacterial Agents - adverse effects
Antibiotics
Antibodies
Asymptomatic
Blood platelets
Blood tests
Case Report
Case reports
Cefepime - adverse effects
Creatinine
Female
Hepatitis
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Laboratories
Middle Aged
Patients
Platelet Count
Thrombocytopenia
Thrombocytopenia - chemically induced
Thrombosis
Urinary Tract Infections
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Summary:Thrombocytopaenia is a commonly encountered finding in hospitalised patients. Many antibiotics, especially beta-lactams, are well known to cause thrombocytopaenia by an immune-mediated mechanism. We present a 55-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital with a complicated urinary tract infection resulting in right-sided pyonephrosis and pararenal abscess. She was observed to develop thrombocytopaenia after initiation of cefepime therapy. Following an extensive work-up for her new-onset thrombocytopaenia, she was diagnosed as a case of a drug (cefepime)-induced thrombocytopaenia. Her platelet count recovered back to normal levels after cessation of cefepime therapy. Based on our PubMed search, there are only a few cases of cefepime-induced thrombocytopaenia published in the literature. This paper illustrates that physicians should include cefepime among the possible aetiologies of thrombocytopaenia. Additionally, this article outlines the currently available approaches to the diagnosis and management of drug-induced thrombocytopaenia.
ISSN:1757-790X
1757-790X
DOI:10.1136/bcr-2021-243749