[Etiology and morbidity of drug exanthemas from a clinical viewpoint]

After a brief discussion of the potential errors and uncertainies of statistics about etiology and epidemiology of drug eruptions the 144 cases, seen from 1968 to 1974 in our dermatological clinic, are analysed and compared with the data from the years 1957 to 1965 respectively the quantities of special drugs, consumed during one year in Dresden city. The results are: significant increase of drugs eruptions (from 0,9% in 1957 to 1965 to 1,9% in 1968 to 1974) among the hospitalised patients; absolute and relative increase of penicillin- (36,7%) and chloramphenicolreactions (21,6%) combined with a decreasing importance of sulfonamides and barbiturates among the causes of drug rashes; increase of urticarial - and decrease of fixed exanthemas: a yearly frequency of 3 to 4 clinically treated ore diagnosticated drug eruptions/100 000 inhabitants respectively 1 to 2 chloramphenicol and 1--5 penicillin-rashes/10 000 treatments. Even if only 10% of the drug eruptions are diagnosticated by us and 90% in other clinics or ambulances the frequency of penicillin-rashes merely amounts to 1 to 5%.