A Clinical Analysis of Drug Eruption

This study attempts to evaluate the clinical manifestations and causative drugs of drug eruptions at Ewha Womans University Tongdaemun Hospital by retrospective study of outpatients, inpatients and consulted patients(number : 121, duration : 1994. 1 - 1999. 5).

1) Most drug eruptions occurred in patients at the age of 20 - 39 years old.

2) The cutaneous manifestations of drug eruptions in the order of frequency were as follows : exanthematous eruption, fixed drug eruption, acneiform eruption, purpura, urticaria, bullous eruption, lichenoid eruption, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and acute generalized exanthemic pustulosis.

3) Drug eruption developed most frequently from 24 hours to 3 days of drug intake.

4) Most common causative drugs were antibiotics, followed by antipyretics and analgesics.

5) Laboratory abnormalities were leukocytosis(22.5%), eosinophilia(14.5%), abnormal AST/ALT(11.4%), abnormal IgE titer(8.3%), and leukopenia(5.6%).

The most frequent clinical feature of the drug eruption were exanthematous in nature and the most common causative drugs were antibiotics, as suspected.

Since too many patients take various unidentified drugs at drug stores in Korea, physicians need to exercise special care in prescribing drugs and evaluating patients with drug eruption.