Topical drugs

Abstract

Topical medicaments can induce iatrogenic cutaneous disease. These adverse cutaneous reactions may be facilitated by previous dermatoses (like leg ulcers or long-standing dermatitis), by the route or special conditions under which they are applied (transdermal devices) and by the intrinsic allergenic potential of some drugs. They can induce various clinical pictures - irritant reactions, contact urticaria, purpura and other, but allergic contact reactions are the more important. In this chapter the main medicament groups are revised - anaesthetics, antibiotics, antimycotics, antivirals, NSAIDs, antihistaminics, corticosteroids, vehicles - as well as the more prevalent allergenic drugs in some special locations, like in stasis dermatitis, ENT and ophthalmic preparations and anogenital dermatoses. A small revision of the more frequent responsible drugs for systemic contact dermatitis, as well as a list of medicaments and respective concentrations to be patch tested, completes this chapter. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.