The development of guidelines will promote the continued delivery of quality care and assist those outside our profession in understanding the complexities and scope of care provided by dermatologists. For the benefit of members of the American Academy of Dermatology who practice in countries outside the jurisdiction of the United States, the listed treatments may include agents that are not currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. An adverse cutaneous reaction caused by a drug is any undesirable change in the structure or function of the skin, its appendages, or mucous membranes. A drug is defined as a chemical substance or combination of substances that are ingested, injected, inhaled, inserted, instilled, or topically applied to the skin or mucous membranes. Although adverse drug reactions are believed to be common, few data exist to document their incidence, seriousness, cost, and ultimate effect on health.
Many skin diseases mimic drug reactions.
Consequently, one must have a high level of suspicion in evaluating possible drug reactions. Suspected cutaneous drug reactions are of numerous clinical types, result from various pathophysiologic mechanisms, demonstrate varying degrees of probable causation, and require various approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Most cutaneous eruptions are not diagnostic of drug causation. Various cutaneous eruptions have different probabilities of being related to drugs. In addition, certain eruptions have particular drugs that are commonly associated with them.