Severe complication of thiopurine treatment in a young woman with crohn's disease

Abstract

Case description: A 28-year old woman receiving thiopurine treatment for Crohn's disease presented with a systemic primo cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection affecting the gut (colitis), liver (hepatitis), lungs (pneumonitis) and eyes (retinitis). Secondary to this systemic infection, she developed splenomegaly, pancytopenia and lymphadenopathy. Anti-viral treatment resulted in complete resolution of clinical, biochemical and radiological abnormalities within 6 weeks. Conclusion: Early recognition is crucial since CMV infection in a patient receiving thiopurine treatment may result in serious complications.