Leukopenia Induced by Quetiapine in a Patient with History of Clozapine-induced Leukopenia

Abstract

Objective: Many antipsychotic medications can cause hematological abnormalities. Quetiapine is a dibenzothiazepine derivative similar to clozapine, an antipsychotic agent which has the highest risk of causing blood dyscrasias. A case of quetiapine-induced leukopenia is described here in a patient who had a previous history of leukopenia induced by clozapine. Case Report: A 34-year-old Taiwanese woman patient with schizophrenia had a history of clozapine-induced leukopenia. She developed leukopenia again after her receiving quetiapine treatment. After quetiapine was discontinued, her white blood count was increased to a normal range. Conclusion: Physicians should be cautious of having potential hematological abnormalities before prescribing leukopenia-causing drugs, especially in patients with a history of drug-induced leukopenia.