SUSPECTED CUTANEOUS DRUG TOXICITY IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS—AN EVALUATION

In a 2-year study of 114 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who developed suspected skin reactions to anti-rheumatic drugs, 71 (62%) had rashes unrelated to the drugs, while 43 (38%) had drug-related rashes, with gold therapy being the most common cause (31 patients). Most drug-related cases (23 patients) experienced a pityriasiform/discoid eczematous eruption treatable with potent topical steroids and sometimes reduced gold dosage. The study emphasized the importance of careful evaluation to allow 82% of patients to continue their beneficial drug therapy despite initial suspicions of adverse reactions. Additionally, the study noted that alopecia, specifically telogen effluvium, was drug-related in four cases, but hair regrowth occurred with continued drug use. The authors recommend a critical approach to managing rashes in RA patients on therapy to avoid unnecessary discontinuation of drugs and to maintain effective disease control.