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John A. Anderson, MD

JAMA. 1992;268(20):2845-2857.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

AN ADVERSE reaction to a drug or a biological agent is an undesirable and usually unanticipated response independent of the intended therapeutic or diagnostic purpose of the medication.¹ Although the exact frequency of adverse reactions to drugs and biological agents is unknown, each year approximately 1 to 2 million Americans experience a drug reaction, usually a skin eruption.² Of all hospitalizations in the United States, 2% to 5% may be due to adverse drug reactions.³ It has been estimated that as many as 30% of hospitalized patients may experience an adverse drug event. A study based on a computerized surveillance system in a 520-bed tertiary care hospital determined that 2% of the 36000 admissions in 1 year were due to adverse drug reactions.³ Of these reactions, 0.2% were severe, life-threatening, and allergic-like (anaphylaxis/anaphylactoid) in nature. In 37665 medical inpatients in Boston, Mass, 23% experienced adverse skin . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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