Evaluation of adverse drug reactions in dermatology department of a charitable hospital in India

Abstract

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) can be confined to either skin or be a part of systemic reaction such as drug hypersensitivity syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis. Objective: The objective is to evaluate the incidence, causality, severity, preventability, and risk factors of ADRs in the dermatology department of a charitable hospital in India. Patients and Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out over a period of 8 months in the dermatology department. The WHO and Naranjo s scales evaluated the suspected ADRs for causality assessment, severity by Hartwig and Siegel Scale, and preventability by modified Schumock and Thornton Scale. Results: A total number of 200 eligible patients were enrolled in the study. Out of 200, 18 patients developed ADRs. The incidence of dermatological ADRs in the study was 9%. The most commonly manifested ADRs were Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) (22.2%) followed by skin rashes (16.7%) and others. The maximum number of ADRs were observed with antibiotics (33.5%), followed by antiepileptic drugs (16.7%) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (16.7%). According to the WHO and Naranjo s scales, most of the reactions were probable with 61.1% and 55.6%, respectively. Most of the ADRs were moderately severe (66.6%) and were not preventable (55.6%). Conclusions: SJS and rashes were the most commonly observed clinical pattern of ADRs. The most common drug class responsible for ADRs was antibiotics, followed by antiepileptic drug and NSAID s. Dermatological ADRs varied in their causality, severity, and preventability.