[Pancytopenia induced by two low-dose injections of methotrexate in a patient treated for ulcerative colitis].

A 72 year-old man with steroid-dependent ulcerative colitis was treated with methotrexate at 25 mg subcutaneous weekly. Three days after the second injection of methotrexate a pancytopenia occurred associated with a Klebsiella pneumoniae septicemia which evolution was favourable under treatment. Pancytopenia is a rare but severe adverse effect of low-dose methotrexate therapy.

[Chronic active ulcerative colitis. Efficacy of intravenous followed by oral cyclosporine combined with azathioprine].

Objective: To know whether the therapeutic protocol applied in the case of severe acute ulcerative colitis (UC) associating ciclosporine and azathioprine was also effective in the case of moderate chronic active ulcerative colitis (UC).

Subjects And Methods: in this retrospective study 10 patients (31-65 years, 6 distal colitis, 1 left colitis, 3 pancolitis) moderately active and corticosteroid-resistant or dependent were included. Patients received ciclosporine intraveinously (4 mg/kg/d) and were evaluated 10 days later.