Drug Hypersensitivity Reactions in Hospital-Admitted Children: A Single Center Study in Southern Iran

Drug allergy is subtype of adverse drug reactions that is mediated by immunologic mechanism. Sever drug allergy is poorly understood in children that leads to hospitalization.
The goal of this research was to study severe drug hypersensitivity reactions in hospital-admitted children in southwestern Iran.
This is a retrospective study conducted in Namazee hospital, southwestern Iran, the medical records of 33 children with drug allergies during 2011 till 2014 were reviewed.
Drug allergies have mainly been studied in adults. In the current study, 19 patients were females (57.9%) and 14 were males (42.1%). Maculopapular rashes were seen in 90.9% of these patients (30 persons). Overall, drug reactions were seen more commonly in females. The mean age was also higher in females. The highest rate of drug reactions were seen with beta lactams and phenobarbital, including 42.4% of patients (14 persons) and 39.4% of patients (13 persons), respectively. Dress syndrome and Steven-Johnson syndrome were the most common reactions in these patients, including 27.3% (9 persons) and 24.2% of patients (8 persons), respectively. Toxic epidermal necrosis was the least common reaction in the patients, involving only 6.1% of patients (2 persons).
Maculopapular rashes were the most common drug reactions. In the current study, drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome was the most common and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) was the least common cause of admission.