E. Fargher, K. Tricker, W. Newman
Apr 1, 2007
Citations
2
Influential Citations
107
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics
Abstract
Background: Azathioprine is an immunosuppressant prescribed for the treatment of inflammatory conditions and after organ transplantation. Risk of neutropaenia has limited the effective use of azathioprine (AZA) and driven requirements for careful monitoring and blood tests. Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) is a genetically moderated key enzyme involved in the metabolism of AZA that can be used to stratify individuals into different levels of risk of developing neutropaenia. Two techniques can be used to measure TPMT status: enzyme‐level testing (phenotype testing) and DNA based testing (genotype testing).