Carvedilol-Induced Thrombocytopenia: A Case Report

Thrombocytopenia is a commonly encountered complication of hospitalized patients, and can be caused by many factors including infections, surgery, and medications. Drug-induced thrombocytopenia (DITP) should be considered when a patient presents with an unexpected occurrence of thrombocytopenia. Many drugs can induce thrombocytopenia either as a direct effect on thrombopoiesis within the bone marrow or by drug-dependent antibody-mediated destruction of platelets within the circulation. We present the case of a 44-year-old female who presented with 2 weeks of nausea, vomiting, and headaches occurring with her hemodialysis sessions. On admission she was found to be thrombocytopenic with a platelet count of 35 K/µL. Her last known normal platelet count was 299 K/µL from 2 months prior. A thorough work up of her thrombocytopenia was found to be unremarkable. Her newly started carvedilol was thought to be the most likely cause based on the rapid platelet recovery upon drug discontinuation and negative workup of other potential causes.