Cutaneous adverse drug reactions

Abstract

Unwanted drug reactions can be classified as type A and type B. Type A is pharmacologically determined, is based on the pharmaco-activity and pharmacokinetics of a drug, and can occur in almost every patient depending on the dose. Type B includes hypersensitivity reactions resulting from an individual immunological or non-immunological response directed against the drug in question. As many of these reactions affect the skin, knowledge of their clinical pictures, pathophysiology and adequate diagnostics is essential for both the dermatologist and the general practitioner. This chapter gives an overview of the different pathomechanisms and clinical entities of cutaneous drug reactions and their treatments. A particular focus is on type B reactions elicited by chemotherapeutic agents and biological response modifiers used to treat chronic inflammatory and neoplastic diseases.