Pattern of drug eruptions in a tertiary care hospital

ABSTRACT

An adverse drug reaction is unintentional which occurs at doses used for prophylaxis, diagnosis or treatment. To determine the frequency of various cutaneous drug eruptions that occur in patients in a tertiary care hospital setting. All patients with cutaneous drug eruptions seen at the Dermatology Department of Mayo Hospital, Lahore, over 6 months were enrolled and the pattern of drug eruptions like urticaria, angioedema, fixed drug eruption, maculopapular rash, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis etc. were recorded, along with drugs that caused it. A total of 160 patients [86 males, 74 females] were included in the study. Mean age of patients was 30.7 +/- 15.4 years. Major eruptions were fixed drug eruption [21.3%] followed by urticaria without angioedema [10%], maculopapular rash [9.3%], lichenoid drug eruption [8.7%], acneiform drug eruption [7.5%], Stevens-Johnson syndrome [6.9%], vesiculobullous eruption [5.6%], erythema multiforme and eczematous eruption [5% each]. Common drugs causing eruptions were sulfonamides [16.3%], followed by NSAIDs [14.4%], herbal and homeopathic medications [12.5%], penicillins [9.3%], tetracyclines [8.7%], antituberculous drugs, cephalosporins and antiepileptics [6.3% each]. Fixed drug eruption and urticaria without angioedema were commonest eruptions while, sulfonamides and NSAIDs were the major causative drugs. Reporting of adverse drug reactions is not done in Pakistan and needs to be done in each hospital