Valproate induced thrombocytopenia complicating acute febrile illness

Abstract

Sodium valproate is a commonly used anticonvulsant. Thrombocytopenia is one of the lesser known adverse effects of valproate. Fever with thrombocytopenia is a frequent clinical presentation especially in tropical countries like India with emerging and reemerging infections like dengue fever. We present here two cases of resistant thrombocytopenia in febrile children which responded dramatically to withdrawing valproate. Both the children had valproate drug level in the normal therapeutic range. Based on the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale a probable association was found between valproate and the thrombocytopenia.

Keywords

• Sodium valproate
• thrombocytopenia