Mechanisms of drug hypersensitivity reactions and the skin. 2008

Ilko Kuljanac
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Karlovac General Hospital, Karlovac, Croatia. ilko.kuljanac@ka.t-com.hr

The skin is an organ most often affected by adverse drug reactions. Because of limited reactivity of the skin, different drugs may induce the same reactions on the skin, even if the same drug may induce different adverse drug reactions. Many of these adverse drug reactions do not include immunological mechanisms, most of them are non-immunological processes. Adverse drug reactions which involve an immune system, may appear different times after drug administration. The severity of reactions is not dependent on the time at which adverse drug reaction appeared, even if some life threatening adverse drug reactions appear immediately after a drug administration. Four types of immunological reactions, (according to Cooms and Gell), may be involved in a drug adverse reaction. The first type of reaction (anaphylactic reaction) begins early after drug administration and different severities of the reactions could exist. The second type, known as cytotoxic hypersensitivity, begins after some minutes to a few hours after a drug administration. Third and fourth types of immunological reactions begin usually hours to days after drug administration. Some types of immunological reactions may begin days to weeks after drug administration. Sensitization to the drugs must be happen early, since re-exposition to the drug leads to the adverse drug reactions. The way of sensitization sometimes determines which immune mechanism will be involved and which clinical reaction will appear. Tests in vivo and in vitro can be used in the diagnosis of adverse drug reactions. All these tests are more or less limited to a false positive or false negative reaction and possibilities of serious reactions in tests. Provocations tests give the most satisfactory results but they may be dangerous and life threatening. We must carefully choose the skin tests and apply them according to the suspected pathomechanism of adverse drug reaction geneses and estimate the usefulness and the risks of the tests. Serious adverse drug reactions (i.e. Sy Steven-Johnson, lupus-like disease etc.) should not be tested. Some novel patents will have important implications in administration, diagnosis, and prevention of adverse drug reactions.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010330 Patents as Topic Works about exclusive legal rights or privileges applied to inventions, plants, etc. Trademarks,Patents as Topics,Trademark
D003875 Drug Eruptions Adverse cutaneous reactions caused by ingestion, parenteral use, or local application of a drug. These may assume various morphologic patterns and produce various types of lesions. Dermatitis Medicamentosa,Dermatitis, Adverse Drug Reaction,Maculopapular Drug Eruption,Maculopapular Exanthem,Morbilliform Drug Reaction,Morbilliform Exanthem,Drug Eruption,Drug Eruption, Maculopapular,Drug Eruptions, Maculopapular,Drug Reaction, Morbilliform,Drug Reactions, Morbilliform,Eruption, Drug,Eruption, Maculopapular Drug,Eruptions, Drug,Eruptions, Maculopapular Drug,Exanthem, Maculopapular,Exanthem, Morbilliform,Exanthems, Maculopapular,Exanthems, Morbilliform,Maculopapular Drug Eruptions,Maculopapular Exanthems,Morbilliform Drug Reactions,Morbilliform Exanthems,Reaction, Morbilliform Drug,Reactions, Morbilliform Drug
D004342 Drug Hypersensitivity Immunologically mediated adverse reactions to medicinal substances used legally or illegally. Allergy, Drug,Hypersensitivity, Drug,Drug Allergy,Allergies, Drug,Drug Allergies,Drug Hypersensitivities,Hypersensitivities, Drug
D005188 False Negative Reactions Negative test results in subjects who possess the attribute for which the test is conducted. The labeling of diseased persons as healthy when screening in the detection of disease. (Last, A Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed) False Negative Reaction,Reaction, False Negative,Reactions, False Negative
D005189 False Positive Reactions Positive test results in subjects who do not possess the attribute for which the test is conducted. The labeling of healthy persons as diseased when screening in the detection of disease. (Last, A Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed) False Positive Reaction,Positive Reaction, False,Positive Reactions, False,Reaction, False Positive,Reactions, False Positive
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012720 Severity of Illness Index Levels within a diagnostic group which are established by various measurement criteria applied to the seriousness of a patient's disorder. Illness Index Severities,Illness Index Severity
D012867 Skin The outer covering of the body that protects it from the environment. It is composed of the DERMIS and the EPIDERMIS.
D012882 Skin Tests Epicutaneous or intradermal application of a sensitizer for demonstration of either delayed or immediate hypersensitivity. Used in diagnosis of hypersensitivity or as a test for cellular immunity. Skin Test,Test, Skin,Tests, Skin
D013997 Time Factors Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations. Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor

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