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Updated: Apr 24, 2026
06:08
Quantification of Hypopigmentation Activity In Vitro
Published on: March 6, 2019
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Drug induced hyperpigmentation: systematic review and meta-analysis
Ruaa Alharithy1,2, Kayan Alotaibi3, Rawan Bin Salamah3
1Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Frontiers in Medicine
|April 23, 2026
Summary
Drug-induced hyperpigmentation (DIH) affects over a third of patients, with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and MC4R agonists showing the highest incidence. Identifying these high-risk medications is crucial for managing this common adverse drug reaction.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Drug-induced hyperpigmentation (DIH) is a subset of acquired pigmentation disorders.
- DIH presents diagnostic challenges due to delayed onset and polypharmacy.
- Identifying causative medications and their incidence is critical for patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the incidence of DIH.
- To identify specific medications significantly associated with DIH.
- To evaluate the pooled incidence of DIH across various drug classes.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library (2002-June 2024).
- Inclusion of studies reporting DIH incidence or descriptive data.
- Random-effects meta-analysis to calculate pooled proportions and I² statistic for heterogeneity.
Main Results:
- Twenty-two studies were included, with an overall pooled DIH incidence of 36.7%.
- Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (89.2%) and MC4R agonists (71.4%) showed the highest incidence.
- Other implicated drug classes include antibiotics (52.0%), antineoplastic agents (35.5%), and antimalarials (29.0%), with minocycline, hydroxychloroquine, and hydroxyurea being common culprits.
Conclusions:
- DIH is a prevalent adverse drug reaction with significant inter-class variability.
- Prompt diagnosis and management are essential.
- Awareness of high-risk medications aids in clinical decision-making and patient counseling.
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