Finasteride-Induced Thrombocytopenia: A Case Report

A case report is presented of a 66-year-old man who developed thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) after taking finasteride for 10 months. Finasteride is commonly used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia and male-pattern baldness, and has an excellent side-effect profile. However, drug-induced thrombocytopenia is a rare, immunologically mediated, idiosyncratic reaction to many non-cytotoxic drugs. The patient's platelet count recovered after discontinuing finasteride and slowly withdrawing steroid treatment. Clinicians should be aware of this potential side effect and report suspected cases to regulatory bodies.