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Sildenafil-Induced Thrombocytopenia
- Andrew Philip, MD;
- Suneil Ramchandani, MD, MPH;
- Kevin Dorrance, MD; and
- Colleen Dorrance, DO
- From National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD 20889.
Background: Drug-induced thrombocytopenia is a serious side effect that is typically due to platelet destruction caused by drug-induced antibodies (1, 2). Sildenafil is an approved treatment for both erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension and has not been previously associated with thrombocytopenia (3). Reports of any adverse reaction to this medication may have important consequences because more than 23 million patients were prescribed sildenafil from 1998 to 2005 (4).
Objective: To describe a case of sildenafil-induced thrombocytopenia.
Case Report: A 53-year-old woman was admitted with dyspnea and volume overload. Her medical history included coronary artery bypass surgery that resulted in recurrent pleural effusions and fibrothorax. Other previous conditions included pulmonary hypertension, diastolic dysfunction, hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and obstructive sleep apnea.
On admission, we administered furosemide and metolazone as well as the patient's home medications of lisinopril, atenolol, aspirin, …
