Hospitalization for serious blood and skin disorders following use of co-trimoxazole

• Published in: British journal of clinical pharmacology Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 446 - 448
• Main Authors: MYERS, M. W, JICK, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Blackwell Science 01.04.1997; Blackwell Science Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anti-Infective Agents - administration & dosage; Anti-Infective Agents - adverse effects; Biological and medical sciences; Child, Preschool; Cohort Studies; Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment; Erythema Multiforme - chemically induced; Female; Hematologic Diseases - chemically induced; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Leukopenia - chemically induced; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neutropenia - chemically induced; Original; Pancytopenia - chemically induced; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Risk Assessment; Skin Diseases - chemically induced; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome - chemically induced; Thrombocytopenia - chemically induced; Toxicity: blood; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination - administration & dosage; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination - adverse effects; Human; Sulfanilamide derivatives; Skin disease; Drug combination; Sulfamethoxazole; Toxicity; Trimethoprim; Hospitalization; Hemopathy; Antibacterial agent; Stevens Johnson syndrome
• ISSN: 0306-5251; 1365-2125
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2125.1997.00584.x

The objective of this study was to quantify the risk of serious blood and skin disorders associated with co-trimoxazole. We conducted a population-based cohort study of serious blood and skin disorders requiring hospitalization among otherwise healthy users of co-trimoxazole at Group Health Cooperative and Puget Sound (GHC). During the years 1987 to 1993 we found six cases of co-trimoxazole-associated blood disorders and three cases of co-trimoxazole-associated skin disorders yielding risks of 5.6/100,000 (95% CI 2.6-12.2) and 2.8/100,000 (95% CI 0.9-8.2) respectively. In all cases found there was prompt recovery after discontinuation of co-trimoxazole. We found no cases of toxic epidermal necrolysis. We conclude that the risk of blood and skin disorders associated with the use of co-trimoxazole leading to hospitalization is low.