Dapsone-induced agranulocytosis: symptoms may alert more reliably than the current blood monitoring protocol.

Although dapsone is generally a safe and effective medication, agranulocytosis is a serious concern. Agranulocytosis is rare, idiosyncratic, and generally presents within the first 3 months of treatment with an absolute neutrophil count less than 500/microliter.1 Currently a complete blood count (CBC) with differential every week for the first month, followed by monthly for 6 months and then biannually is recommended during dapsone therapy.