Complete response to tacrolimus in a child with severe aplastic anemia resistant to cyclosporin A.

Abstract

Aplastic anemia (AA) is a rare disorder in children, usually treated with immunosuppressive therapy (IST) including antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporin A. There are no current widely used alternative therapies with comparable efficacy. We describe a child with severe aplastic anemia (SAA), who developed severe gingival hyperplasia secondary to cyclosporin A, unresponsive to intensive dental intervention. When IST was changed to tacrolimus there was a significant improvement in the gingival hyperplasia, but equally important, he achieved complete response of his AA within several months. The use of tacrolimus in children with AA may be a potential modality of treatment.

• Authors: Christine Macartney, Marshall Freilich, Isaac Odame, Karen Charpentier, Yigal Dror
• Journal: Pediatric blood & cancer (Pediatr Blood Cancer) Vol. 52 Issue 4 Pg. 525-7 (Apr 2009) ISSN: 1545-5017 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 19058202 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Chemical References

• Immunosuppressive Agents
• Cyclosporine
• Tacrolimus

Topics

• Anemia, Aplastic (drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Anemia, Refractory (drug therapy, physiopathology)
• Child
• Cyclosporine (adverse effects)
• Gingival Hyperplasia (chemically induced)
• Humans
• Immunosuppressive Agents (therapeutic use)
• Male
• Tacrolimus (therapeutic use)