Incidence of adverse cutaneous drug reactions in 22,866 Chinese inpatients: a prospective study

Cutaneous adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are common. However, no prospective study assessing cutaneous ADRs is available for Chinese populations. This study aimed to assess the incidence, manifestations, causative drugs, and other factors related to cutaneous ADRs. A total of 22,866 inpatients were surveyed prospectively from January to April 2012 at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Only cutaneous ADRs induced by systemic drugs were considered. Fifty cases were confirmed as cutaneous ADRs, for an estimated incidence of 2.2 per 1000 during this period (95 % confidence interval 1.6–2.8). Cases of cutaneous ADRs comprised 69 % females, while 63 % of all inpatients were female (χ ² = 0.641, P = 0.427). The department of infectious diseases was the most frequently involved department. Morbilliform exanthema (40 %) was the most frequent cutaneous ADR, followed by urticaria (23.1 %). Anti-infection drugs (36.9 %) caused most cases of cutaneous ADRs, followed by iodinated contrast media (ICM, 18.5 %) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, 18.5 %). The most frequently associated disorders were cancer (24 %), infection (22 %), cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (20 %), and autoimmune diseases (18 %). In this first prospective study assessing the incidence of cutaneous ADRs in China, anti-infection drugs were the most commonly involved drugs, followed by ICM and NSAIDs. No evidence of increased cutaneous ADR incidence in AIDS or SLE patients was observed. Our findings indicate that cancer and its treatments were often related to cutaneous ADRs in China.