Safety of azathioprine for all patients with ITP
| Adverse events∗ . | All grades, n (%) . | Grade 3 or higher, n (%) . |
|---|---|---|
| Any side effects | 68 (73.9%) | 20 (21.7%) |
| Nausea/vomiting | 28 (30.4%) | 5 (5.4%) |
| Infections | 19 (20.7%) | 3 (3.3%) |
| Fatigue | 19 (20.7%) | 2 (2.2%) |
| Myelosuppression† | 14 (15.2%) | 6 (6.5%) |
| Diarrhea | 13 (14.1%) | 3 (3.3%) |
| Abdominal pain | 12 (13.0%) | 1 (1.1%) |
| Weight loss | 8 (8.7%) | 1 (1.1%) |
| Hepatotoxicity‡ | 7 (7.6%) | 3 (3.3%) |
| Fevers | 4 (4.3%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Night sweats | 3 (3.3%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Rash | 3 (3.3%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Malignancy | 1 (1.1%) | 1 (1.1%) |
| Others | 25 (27.2%) | 5 (5.4%) |
| Pancreatitis | 2 | |
| Acute kidney injury | 2 | |
| Arrhythmia | 1 | |
| Management of side effects | n (%) | |
| Dose reduction | 9 (13.2%) | |
| Treatment of side effects | 1 (1.5%) | |
| Discontinuation | 31 (45.6%) |
| Adverse events∗ . | All grades, n (%) . | Grade 3 or higher, n (%) . |
|---|---|---|
| Any side effects | 68 (73.9%) | 20 (21.7%) |
| Nausea/vomiting | 28 (30.4%) | 5 (5.4%) |
| Infections | 19 (20.7%) | 3 (3.3%) |
| Fatigue | 19 (20.7%) | 2 (2.2%) |
| Myelosuppression† | 14 (15.2%) | 6 (6.5%) |
| Diarrhea | 13 (14.1%) | 3 (3.3%) |
| Abdominal pain | 12 (13.0%) | 1 (1.1%) |
| Weight loss | 8 (8.7%) | 1 (1.1%) |
| Hepatotoxicity‡ | 7 (7.6%) | 3 (3.3%) |
| Fevers | 4 (4.3%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Night sweats | 3 (3.3%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Rash | 3 (3.3%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Malignancy | 1 (1.1%) | 1 (1.1%) |
| Others | 25 (27.2%) | 5 (5.4%) |
| Pancreatitis | 2 | |
| Acute kidney injury | 2 | |
| Arrhythmia | 1 | |
| Management of side effects | n (%) | |
| Dose reduction | 9 (13.2%) | |
| Treatment of side effects | 1 (1.5%) | |
| Discontinuation | 31 (45.6%) |
∗As per the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Version 5.0.
Defined as any increase in aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase above the upper limits of the reference range at our institution, which were 33 U/L and 32 U/L, respectively.
Defined as any decrease in hemoglobin levels, neutrophil count, or lymphocyte count below the lower limits of the reference range at our institution, which were 115 g/L, 2.0 × 109/L, and 1.0 × 109/L, respectively; patients who had established cytopenias before azathioprine initiation were omitted.