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Review
. 2016 Aug 22;14(1):9.
doi: 10.1186/s12948-016-0045-0. eCollection 2016.

Drug induced exfoliative dermatitis: state of the art

Mona-Rita Yacoub  1 , Alvise Berti  2 , Corrado Campochiaro  2 , Enrico Tombetti  2 , Giuseppe Alvise Ramirez  2 , Andrea Nico  3 , Elisabetta Di Leo  3 , Paola Fantini  3 , Maria Grazia Sabbadini  1 , Eustachio Nettis  3 , Giselda Colombo  1
Affiliations
Review

Drug induced exfoliative dermatitis: state of the art

Mona-Rita Yacoub et al. Clin Mol Allergy. .

Abstract

Drug induced exfoliative dermatitis (ED) are a group of rare and severe drug hypersensitivity reactions (DHR) involving skin and usually occurring from days to several weeks after drug exposure. Erythema multiforme (EM), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are the main clinical presentations of drug induced ED. Overall, T cells are the central player of these immune-mediated drug reactions. Here we provide a systematic review on frequency, risk factors, pathogenesis, clinical features and management of patients with drug induced ED.

Keywords: Clinical features; Delayed type hypersensitivity; Drug hypersensitivity; Erythema multiforme; Exfoliative dermatitis; Lyell’s syndrome; Pathogenesis; Stevens–Johnson syndrome; Therapy; Toxic epidermal necrolysis.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Erythema multiforme (photo reproduced with permission of Gary White, MD): typical target lesions (white arrows) together with atypical two-zoned lesions (black arrows)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Mortality rate of patients with TEN has shown to be directly correlated to SCORTEN. Adapted from Ref. [81]
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Management of patients with a suspected drug induced exfoliative dermatitis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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