Evaluation of the Drug Hypersensitivity Reactions Prevalence in Children Hospitalized to Bou Ali Sina Hospital in Sari and its Related Factors from 2014 to 2018

 Drug allergy is a subtype of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) mediated by the immunologic system. Extreme drug allergy is poorly known in children that contribute to the hospitalization in our region.

 This research aimed to study major drug hypersensitivity reactions in the north of Iran among hospitalized children.

 This corss-sectional study conducted at the Bou Ali Sina hospital, north of Iran, analyzing the medical history of 140 children with drug allergies from 2014 to 2018. Inclusion criteria were based on the DRESS scoring system, and those who scored more than four were enrolled. Patients with incomplete medical charts were excluded. The sampling methodology was based on the consecutive census.

 In the current study, 62 patients were females (44.29%), and 78 were males (55.71%). Ninety-six cases (68.57%) were children under five, and 44 cases (31.43%) were over five years old. Most ADRs were seen in patients from urban areas (58.57%)  than in rural areas (41.43%). In 82.6% (116 children) of these patients, maculopapular rashes were seen. Phenobarbital and cefalexin had the highest levels of drug reactions, including 55.19% of patients (85 persons) and 11.69% of patients (18 persons), respectively. Pruritus, fever, and scaling were the most common symptoms observed in patients. The most commonly used treatment was antihistamines.

 The most causative medication inducing ADR was phenobarbital. The maculopapular rash was the most common skin manifestation, and there were no relationship between sex, age, medication type, and type of hypersensitivity reactions.