Rates of cutaneous reactions to drugs. A report from the Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program
K. A. Arndt and H. Jick
Rates of allergic skin reactions to commonly used drugs were estimated from
data obtained on 22,227 consecutively monitored medical inpatients. A total
of 57 drugs were implicated with skin reactions. Five or more reactions
were attributed to each of 22 drugs (or drug groups). Many commonly used
drugs did not appear to cause any allergic reactions. The study provides
the practicing physician with drug-specific quantitative data that can be
used to evaluate the causes of drug-induced rash, itching, or hives.
