Red cell abnormalities associated with sulphasalazine maintenance therapy for ulcerative colitis
Open accessAbstract
Of 52 patients receiving a mean dose of 2.5g sulphasalazine/day as maintenance therapy for ulcerative colitis, 35 were found to have one or more drug-induced red cell abnormalities, which were not found in 50 normal controls or in 10 colitics not receiving sulphasalazine. Twenty-three of the treated patients had contracted red cells, an abnormality that is thought to result in mild haemolysis. Red cell contraction was related to the dose of sulphasalazine (P smaller than 0.01), the serum total sulphapyridine level (P smaller than 0.001), and acetylator status. Eleven of the treated patients had a macrocytosis, 21 had elevated levels of methaemoglobin, and one had Heinz bodies. A dose of 1.5 g sulphasalazine/day was not associated with red cell contraction, and is suggested as a safer maintenance dose for the asymptomatic colitic.
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High doses of sulfasalazine are associated with RBC abnormalities.
“Interestingly, high doses of sulfasalazine are associated with RBC abnormalities (Pounder et al., 1975).”
From The Role of Iron Regulation in Immunometabolism and Immune-Related Disease (2019) · cites this paper as Pounder et al., 1975
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- Authors
- Pounder, R. E., Craven, E. R., Henthorn, J. S., & Bannatyne, J. M.
- Affiliations
- Central Middlesex Hospital (GB)
- ORCID
- Bannatyne, J M
- Venue
- Gut
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 1975-03
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 181-186
- ISSN
- 0017-5749 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-3288
- PMC
- PMC1410952
- OpenAlex
- W2050453675
- Cited by
- 49
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 2.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Gut (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Drug Reactions
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmacology › Drug-Induced Hepatotoxicity and Protection
- Keywords
- sulfasalazine, ulcerative colitis, hemolysis, acetylator phenotype, macrocytosis, methemoglobin, Heinz bodies, maintenance therapy
- MeSH terms
- Anemia, Hemolytic, Colitis, Ulcerative, Erythrocyte Count, Erythrocytes, Abnormal, Heinz Bodies, Hematocrit, Hematologic Diseases, Humans, Methemoglobinemia, Pyridines, Reticulocytes, Sulfasalazine
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