Should Thiopurine Methyltransferase Genotypes and Phenotypes be Measured Before Thiopurine Therapy in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Abstract

The results of this study suggest that the value of TPMT genotyping before thiopurine therapy is limited in Chinese patients with IBD, considering the low sensitivity of predicting leucopenia, and that phenotyping is a more cost-effective tool that can be successfully used in patients. The coadministration of 5-aminosalicylates results in a high frequency of leucopenia in patients receiving azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine.