Azathioprine and Brain death - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Brain death is reported as a side effect among people who take Azathioprine (azathioprine sodium), especially for people who are female, 20-29 old, also take Foscavir, and have Colitis.

The study is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 59,932 people who have side effects when taking Azathioprine from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Azathioprine?

Azathioprine has active ingredients of azathioprine sodium. It is often used in crohn's disease. eHealthMe is studying from 60,623 Azathioprine users. Check the latest studies of Azathioprine.

On Aug, 08, 2026

59,932 people reported to have side effects when taking Azathioprine.
Among them, 19 people (0.03%) died.

Among these 19 people:

What is the gender of people who died when taking Azathioprine? *

female: 64.71 %
male: 35.29 %

What is the age of people who died when taking Azathioprine? *

What are other drugs people take besides Azathioprine? *

Cefotaxime: 10 people, 52.63%
Foscavir: 10 people, 52.63%
Sulfamethoxazole And Trimethoprim: 3 people, 15.79%
Cyclosporine: 2 people, 10.53%
Prednisone: 2 people, 10.53%
Prednisolone: 2 people, 10.53%
Tacrolimus: 2 people, 10.53%
Lamictal: 1 person, 5.26%
Folic Acid: 1 person, 5.26%
Gemfibrozil: 1 person, 5.26%

What are other side effects people have before they died? *

Brain Oedema (excess accumulation of fluid in the intracellular or extracellular spaces of the brain): 11 people, 57.89%
Cerebral Haemorrhage (bleeding within the brain): 10 people, 52.63%
Headache (pain in head): 10 people, 52.63%
Hydrocephalus (water on the brain): 10 people, 52.63%
Intracranial Pressure Increased (high pressure inside the skull and thus in the brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid): 10 people, 52.63%
Encephalitis Cytomegalovirus (inflammation of the brain due to cytomegalovirus): 9 people, 47.37%
Hemiparesis (weakness on one side of the body): 9 people, 47.37%
Neurological Decompensation (inability of brain to maintain proper function): 9 people, 47.37%
Cerebral Venous Thrombosis (clot in brains venous blood system): 9 people, 47.37%
Central Nervous System Necrosis (destruction of central nervous system): 9 people, 47.37%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

Enterocolitis Haemorrhagic (bleeding and inflammation of the digestive tract, involving enteritis of the small intestine and colitis of the colon): 10 people, 52.63%
Disseminated Cytomegaloviral Infection (group of herpes viruses infection): 10 people, 52.63%
Colitis (inflammation of colon): 10 people, 52.63%
Encephalitis Cytomegalovirus (inflammation of the brain due to cytomegalovirus): 2 people, 10.53%
Rheumatoid Arthritis (a chronic progressive disease causing inflammation in the joints): 1 person, 5.26%
Memory Loss: 1 person, 5.26%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Azathioprine:

Azathioprine (60,623 reports)

Expand to all the drugs that have ingredients of azathioprine sodium:

Brain death and drugs with ingredients of azathioprine sodium

Sub-studies by gender and age:

Female: 0-1 2-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Male: 0-1 2-9 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Browse all side effects of Azathioprine:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Brain death:

Brain death (315 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Brain death:

Brain death (489 conditions)

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on azathioprine sodium (the active ingredients of Azathioprine) and Azathioprine (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

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