Long-term safety and toxicity of azathioprine in patients with air-borne contact dermatitis.

ABSTRACT

Forty-six patients, 35 males and 11 females between 30 and 75 years age having patch test confirmed air-borne contact dermatitis for 6 months to 20 years were treated with azathioprine for varying periods of 3 months to 3 years. Twenty-two patients (Group 1) received azathioprine 50 mg twice daily orally for 6 months to 3 years, 12 patients (Group 2) were given the drug in a dose of 50 mg once daily and 300 mg once in four weeks orally for 3 months to 2.5 years, and the remaining 12 patients (Group 3) were treated with azathioprine 50 mg twice daily and 300 mg once in 4 weeks orally for 4 degrees months to 2.3 years. All the patients were evaluated clinically as well as biochemically every month to determine the side-effects of azathioprine. Out of these 46 patients, only 2 (4.3%) patients had severe drug-induced side-effects of gastrointestinal and hepatic origin. Three patients had transient rise in SGPT. Eighteen patients had other milder side effects which included mainly cutaneous infections.