This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Monitoring for safety

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Sulphasalazine is potentially toxic and so must be carefully monitored (1,2).

FBC, LFTs

  • every 1-2 weeks for 2 months; then 3-monthly for a year; then 6-monthly

Watch for trends as well as absolute levels of:

  • Hb & MCV
  • differential WCC
  • platelets

Any patient receiving sulphasalazine should be advised about the need to have a full blood count immediately if they develop unexplained purpura, bleeding, bruising, sore throat, fever or excessive tiredness (1).

FBC, LFTs Every 1-2 weeks for 2 months; then 3-monthly for a year; then 6-monthly

Ideally results should be recorded in a patient-held booklet.

Reference:

  1. Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (2002), 39 (12), 91-95.
  2. MeReC Bulletin 2007;17(5):1-8.

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.