Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010 Jul 7;16(25):3187-95.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i25.3187.

Thiopurine S-methyltransferase polymorphisms and thiopurine toxicity in treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Affiliations
Review

Thiopurine S-methyltransferase polymorphisms and thiopurine toxicity in treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Xian-Wen Dong et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) polymorphisms and thiopurine-induced adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods: Eligible articles that compared the frequency of TPMT polymorphisms among thiopurine-tolerant and -intolerant adult IBD patients were included. Statistical analysis was performed with Review Manager 5.0. Sub-analysis/sensitivity analysis was also performed.

Results: Nine studies that investigated a total of 1309 participants met our inclusion criteria. The incidence of TPMT gene mutation was increased 2.93-fold (95% CI: 1.68-5.09, P = 0.0001) and 5.93-fold (95% CI: 2.96-11.88, P < 0.00001), respectively, in IBD patients with thiopurine-induced overall ADRs and bone marrow toxicity (BMT), compared with controls. The OR for TPMT gene mutation in IBD patients with thiopurine-induced hepatotoxicity and pancreatitis was 1.51 (95% CI: 0.54-4.19, P = 0.43) and 1.02 (95% CI: 0.26-3.99, P = 0.98) vs controls, respectively.

Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that the TPMT polymorphisms are associated with thiopurine-induced overall ADRs and BMT, but not with hepatotoxicity and pancreatitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The flowchart of study selection for the meta-analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Association between thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) polymorphisms and all adverse drug reactions (ADRs) (A), bone marrow toxicity (B), hepatotoxicity (C) and pancreatitis (D). Total: Total number of patients within the ADRs or no ADRs group; Events: Number of patients with one or more TPMT alleles within the ADRs or no ADRs group. neg assoc: Favoured the no ADRs group; pos assoc: Favoured the ADRs group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Funnel plot of included studies for this meta-analysis.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Prefontaine E, Sutherland LR, Macdonald JK, Cepoiu M. Azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine for maintenance of remission in Crohn's disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009:CD000067. - PubMed
    1. Prefontaine E, Macdonald JK, Sutherland LR. Azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine for induction of remission in Crohn's disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009:CD000545. - PubMed
    1. Hindorf U, Lindqvist M, Peterson C, Söderkvist P, Ström M, Hjortswang H, Pousette A, Almer S. Pharmacogenetics during standardised initiation of thiopurine treatment in inflammatory bowel disease. Gut. 2006;55:1423–1431. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yates CR, Krynetski EY, Loennechen T, Fessing MY, Tai HL, Pui CH, Relling MV, Evans WE. Molecular diagnosis of thiopurine S-methyltransferase deficiency: genetic basis for azathioprine and mercaptopurine intolerance. Ann Intern Med. 1997;126:608–614. - PubMed
    1. Winter JW, Gaffney D, Shapiro D, Spooner RJ, Marinaki AM, Sanderson JD, Mills PR. Assessment of thiopurine methyltransferase enzyme activity is superior to genotype in predicting myelosuppression following azathioprine therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2007;25:1069–1077. - PubMed

MeSH terms