Drug Eruptions

Abstract

Presentation It would be justifiable to say that all drugs are capable of causing skin lesions, and that any drug may cause any type of rash. However, certain drugs are more likely to cause certain types of skin eruptions often imitating disease entities. No history of skin disease today is complete without asking the patients whether they take any drugs, self-prescribed ones included. Many drugs bought without prescriptions are capable of causing rashes. Apart from the history of recent drug intake there are other clues that the eruption may be drug induced. The rash is usually of sudden onset and symmetrical. The extent of the eruption varies, it may be localized to the limbs or trunk, or it may be generalized. Occasionally there is constitutional upset at the same time as the rash appears. Depending on the drug involved and the mechanism of production of the skin lesions the time taken from drug intake to development of the rash will vary from a few hours to a few weeks.