Leukopenia and silver sulfadiazine.

The relationship of silver sulfadiazine therapy to leukopenia has been controversial. In our burn unit the incidence of leukopenia increased dramatically in 1978. Leukopenia was observed only in silver sulfadiazine-treated patients and not in patients treated with other agents. Because cimetidine had been introduced at about that time, the possibility of a drug interaction was investigated with a prospective randomized study. It was found that leukopenia continued to appear in a large percentage of patients in both groups, although the incidence was higher in cimetidine-treated patients.