A rare case report of severe aplastic anaemia caused by long-term use of zidovudine.

backgroundZidovudine is an antiviral drug used to treat acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Anaemia is a common adverse effect of zidovudine that usually occurs in the first 2 to 4 weeks of initial treatment. Here, we describe a patient with HIV infection who developed severe aplastic anaemia 11 years after taking zidovudine. To our knowledge, this is the first case of severe aplastic anaemia caused by the long-term use of zidovudine. CASE PRESENTATION: A 28-year-old male patient with AIDS developed severe aplastic anaemia after taking zidovudine for 11 years. The patient went to the emergency department due to weakness and falls. He was diagnosed with severe anaemia because his haemoglobin (Hb) level was 31 g/L and his red blood cell (RBC) count was 0.89 × 10

conclusionsZidovudine has bone marrow suppression toxicity, which manifests as anaemia and can occur at any stage of use. Thus, we should not only pay attention to the initial stage of medication but also regularly monitor the patient via routine blood tests in the later stage. If anaemia occurs during the use of zidovudine, physicians should consider the possibility that anaemia is related to the administration of zidovudine and prescribe medication cessation and symptomatic treatment.