[Drug-induced disorders of lupus erythematosus type (author's transl)]

Drug induced Lupus erythematosus (LE)-like syndromes are generally observed after long-term and/or high-dose therapy with so called "principal inducers" procainamide, hydralazine, isoniazide, chlorpromazine, anticonvulsives and possibly with D-penicillamine, too, and even so in some cases after some additional 26 drugs. The rare pseudo LE syndrome appears after combined drugs which usually contain pyrazolone derivatives used especially against venous diseases. The mechanism of induction of autoimmune reactions in these disorders varies and is after all still unknown. There are individual differences in drug metabolism, genetic disposition for increased autoantibody formation and sometimes humoral and cellular immune reactions against the drug itself. Essentially involved in the indication of autoimmune reactions is often the production of hapten carrier complexes between drugs and body constituents and drug induced changes of autoantigen elimination as well as drug mediated immunologic imbalance.