Lamotrigine-induced erythroblastopenic crisis in a patient with heterozygous β-thalassaemia

Lamotrigine (LTG) has been reported to cause adverse haematological events. We describe a 8 year-old mentally retarded patient with heterozygous β-thalassaemia and criptogenetic partial epilepsy. Two months after the beginning of treatment with LTG he had both clinical and haematological findings of an erythroblastopenic crisis (dyspnea, pallor, tiredness, anemia with erythroblastopenia). Complete remission of clinical and haematological picture was obtained five weeks after LTG withdrawal. We suggest that LTG should be avoided in epileptic patients with congenital haemoglobinopathy.