Jakob E. Borch, Klaus E. Andersen, Carsten Bindslev-Jensen
DOI: 10.1080/00015555-0153

Patients with suspected cutaneous adverse drug reactions are often referred to allergy clinics or departments of dermatology for evaluation. These patients are selec­t­ed compared with patients identified in prospective and cross-sectional studies of hospital populations. This explains the observed variation in prevalence of specific reactions and of eliciting drugs. This study investigated the prevalence of cutaneous adverse drug reactions in a university hospital department of dermatology that is specially focused on allergy. An 8-month survey was carried out during the period April-December 2003. Consecutive patients suspected of having cutaneous adverse drug reactions during this period were examined by dermatologists and investigated. Drug imputability was assessed in the 194 patients included; 33.5% had an exanthema with certain or likely drug imputability. Urticaria and local reactions at injection sites were the most frequent reactions (25% and 18.8%, respectively). β-lactam antibiotics, extracts for desensitization and insulins were the main drug groups involved, and accounted for 22.8%, 17.1% and 14.2%, respectively, of the reactions. Extracts for desensitization and insulins elicited more reactions than expected. This probably reflects the referral pattern to an allergy clinic.