Acute pancytopenia due to praziquantel treatment for cerebral cysticercosis: A rare case report

Praziquantel (PZQ) has been commonly used to treat diverse parasitic infections for over thirty years. Many studies have confirmed its efficacy for the treatment of cysticercosis and the side effects. We reported a rare case of a 56-year-old Chinese man with cerebral cysticercosis. He had experienced acute pancytopenia two times following PZQ treatment (40 mg/kg per day for five days) and gradually recovered after PZQ withdrawal, which was an adverse effect of PZQ that was not previously reported in the literatures. It is suggested that medical observation and dynamic monitoring of PBC should be maintained throughout the entire PZQ therapy course until two weeks after the drug withdrawal, especially in elderly people and those receiving increasing dosages.