Clinical Features of Fixed Drug Eruption at a Tertiary Hospital in Korea

PURPOSE: Fixed drug eruption (FDE) is characterized by a well-defined erythematous patch, plaque, or bullous eruption that recurs at the same site as the result of systemic exposure to a causative drug, and resolves with or without hyperpigmentation. This study was carried out to identify the common causative drugs and clinical features of FDE in Korea. METHODS: We reviewed electronic medical records of all patients diagnosed with FDE from January 2000 to December 2010 at a tertiary hospital in Korea. RESULTS: A total of 134 cases were diagnosed as FDE. The mean age was 35.9 years (range, 0-82 years) and 69 (51.5%) of the patients were male. The mean duration from the first event to attending hospital was 1.9 years (range, 1-20 years). The mean number of recurrences was 2.6 (1-10), and 72.6% of patients sought medical care after experiencing symptoms twice or more. Four patients (3.1%) needed hospitalization. The most common sites were the upper extremities (47.7%), followed by the lower extremities, face, abdomen, chest, buttocks and perineum. Clear documentation on the causative drugs was available for 38 patients (28.4%), and among these, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen accounted for 71.1% of cases, and antibiotics accounted for 15.8%. Eighty patients (59.7%) underwent active treatment for FDE, and topical steroids were most frequently prescribed (43.3%), with systemic steroids used in 11.2% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: NSAIDs and acetaminophen were the main causative agents of FDE, however, the causative agents were not assessed in 25% of patients.