Severe adverse cutaneous drug reactions to antiepileptic drugs: 18 years of experience in a tertiary referral dermatology clinic in Turkey

Abstract

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are the mainstay of treatment for 1% of the human population suffering from epilepsy.¹ They are also increasingly used for several non-epileptic neurological conditions, such as trigeminal neuralgia, neuropathic pain syndromes, migraine and psychiatric disorders.² Three percent of patients who receive AEDs experience adverse cutaneous drug reactions (ACDR),³ which can range across a wide spectrum from mild to moderate eruptions, such as maculopapular rash and, urticaria, to severe and life-threatening conditions, such as drug reactions with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).^1,4-5

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