ABSTRACT
DRESS-syndrome (Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms) is a severe drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome characterized by diffuse maculopapular rash, lymphadenopathy, multivisceral involvement, eosinophilia and atypical lymphocytes with a mortality rate of 10-40% (Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery, 1, 250). It is described in adults treated with aromatic antiepileptics and less frequently with sulphonamides, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Clinics in Dermatology, 23, 171; Pediatrics, 108, 485). We report on an 11-year-old Caucasian boy hospitalized with a skin eruption, lymphadenopathy, acute hepatitis, renal tubular involvement, haematological abnormalities and human-herpevirus-6 reactivation, treated with sulfasalazine and naproxen for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). This is the first report in children with rheumatic disease and highlights the possibility of sulfasalazine and naproxen-induced-DRESS-syndrome in children with JIA.
Subject(s)
Drug Eruptions/etiology , Naproxen/adverse effects , Sulfasalazine/adverse effects , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/adverse effects , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/therapeutic use , Arthritis, Juvenile/drug therapy , Child , Drug Therapy, Combination , Herpesvirus 6, Human/isolation & purification , Humans , Male , Naproxen/therapeutic use , Roseolovirus Infections/virology , Sulfasalazine/therapeutic use , Syndrome , Virus Activation/drug effectsABSTRACT
The detection and reporting of serious adverse drug reactions (SADRs) have become important components of monitoring and evaluation activities performed in hospitals. We present the implementation of a prospective pharmacovigilance program based on automatic laboratory signals (ALSs) at a hospital. We also report the general findings after the first year of operation of the program, which involved ALSs that indicate various SADRs: agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia, liver injury, thrombocytopenia, hyponatremia, and rhabdomyolysis. The number of hospitalizations during the year was 54,525, and 1,732 patients experienced at least one ALS. The review of electronic medical records (EMRs) showed that no alternative cause (i.e., no non-SADR explanation) for the ALS was identified in 520 (30%) of the patients. After the individual ALS-patient evaluation, a total of 110 SADRs (6.35% of those identified after reviewing EMRs and 21.15% of those requiring individual patient evaluations) were identified. In other words, in order to identify a single SADR, we had to review the electronic records of approximately 16 patients and personally visit 5 patients.
Subject(s)
Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems/standards , Hospitalization , Laboratories, Hospital/standards , Program Development/standards , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Child, Preschool , Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions/diagnosis , Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions/prevention & control , Female , Hospital Information Systems/standards , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Medical Records Systems, Computerized/standards , Middle Aged , Program Development/methods , Prospective Studies , Young AdultABSTRACT
A 55-year-old woman was diagnosed with pneumonia and was treated with meropenem; 5 days later she developed epileptic seizures. She had been treated with valproic acid for 16 years to control her epileptic seizures. Her serum valproic acid concentration was low during treatment with meropenem than previously recorded despite an increase of valproic dose. As soon as administration of meropenem was withdrawn, valproic acid concentration increased to previous levels and her seizures stopped. Meropenem decreases valproic acid concentration, and may promote the development of epileptic seizures in previously controlled epileptic patients. The acute lowering of serum valproate produced by meropenem probably precludes their concomitant use.
