Severe Drug Eruption in Guinea Conakry

Abstract

Severe drug reactions are defined as mucocutaneous complications secondary to systemic administration of drugs likely to be life threatening. Our work was designed to determine the evolutionary epidemiological and etiological characteristics of severe drug reactions to the Department of Dermatology Venereology, at Donka Teaching Hospital. A prospective descriptive study of all cases of severe drug reactions received at the Department of Dermatology Venereology of the Donka Teaching Hospital was conducted over a period of two years, from June 2009 to May 31, 2011. We identified 22 Stevens-Johnson syndrome, 13 Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, 1 Stevens-Johnson syndrome Border Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, 1 Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms and 2 Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis among 481 hospitalized patients, of whom 50 had consulted for drug reactions, that is to say, a frequence of 10.40%. The Stevens-Johnson syndrome accounted for 44%, the Stevens-Johnson syndrome Border Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis 2%, Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis 26%, Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms 2% and Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis 4% of drug reaction. The female sex was predominant (28 women vs. 11 men), that is to say 71.59% vs. 26.21 with a sex ratio of 2.55. The average age of our patients was 29.72 years; the range of ages 21 - 40 years was the most affected (51.28%) followed by 0 - 20 years (33.33%). The lethality rate was 9.09% (2/22) in the Stevens-Johnson syndrome and 53.85% (7/13) in the Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. HIV infection was found in 17.95% (7/26) of our patients and 71.42% (5/7) of the deceased. The drug accountability was established in 79.48%; the most commonly implicated drugs in the Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis were sulfonamides followed by ARVs (nevirapine) and anti TB (isoniazid); in the SJS sulfonamides followed by salts of quinine and anti TB, the only case of DRESS was due to quinine. No drug was found in 20.52% (8 cases). HIV infection remains a poor prognostic factor. Our study shows the scarcity of Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms and Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis in our service.