Drug-induced autoimmune hemolytic anemia is a form of hemolytic anemia. In some cases, a drug can cause the immune system to mistakenly think the bodys own red blood cells are dangerous, foreign substances. Antibodies then develop against the red blood cells. The antibodies attach to red blood cells and cause them to break down too early. It is known that more than 150 drugs can cause this type of hemolytic anemia. The list includes :

Cephalosporins (a class of antibiotics)
Dapsone
Levodopa
Levofloxacin
Methyldopa
Nitrofurantoin
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - among them, the commonly used Diclofenac and Ibuprofen
Phenazopyridine (pyridium)
QuinidinePenicillin in high doses can induce immune mediated hemolysis via the hapten mechanism in which antibodies are targeted against the combination of penicillin in association with red blood cells. Complement is activated by the attached antibody leading to the removal of red blood cells by the spleen.The drug itself can be targeted by the immune system, e.g. by IgE in a Type I hypersensitivity reaction to penicillin, rarely leading to anaphylaxis. See also
List of circulatory system conditions
List of hematologic conditions

References


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Octreotide, sold under the brand name Sandostatin among others, is an octapeptide that mimics natural somatostatin pharmacologically, though it is a more potent inhibitor of growth hormone, glucagon, and insulin than the natural hormone. It was first synthesized in 1979 by the chemist Wilfried Bauer, and binds predominantly to the somatostatin receptors SSTR2 and SSTR5. It was approved for use in the United States in 1988. Medical uses
Tumors
Octreotide is used for the treatment of growth hormone producing tumors (acromegaly and gigantism), when surgery is contraindicated, pituitary tumors that secrete thyroid-stimulating hormone (thyrotropinoma), diarrhea and flushing episodes associated with carcinoid syndrome, and diarrhea in people with vasoactive intestinal peptide-secreting tumors (VIPomas). Octreotide is also used in mild cases of glucagonoma when surgery is not an option. Bleeding esophageal varices
Octreotide is often given as an infusion for management of acute hemorrhage from esophageal varices in liver cirrhosis on the basis that it reduces portal venous pressure, though current evidence suggests that this effect is transient and does not improve survival. Radiolabeling
Octreotide is used in nuclear medicine imaging by labeling with indium-111 (Octreoscan) to noninvasively image neuroendocrine and other tumours expressing somatostatin receptors. More recently, it has been radiolabeled with carbon-11 as well as gallium-68 (using edotreotide), enabling imaging with positron emission tomography (PET), which provides higher resolution and sensitivity. Octreotide (usually as the derivative edotreotide or DOTATOC) can also be labeled with a variety of therapeutic radionuclides, such as yttrium-90 or lutetium-177, to enable peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) for the treatment of unresectable neuroendocrine tumours.