Fixed drug eruptions. A study of 20 occurrences in Singapore

Twenty occurrences of fixed drug eruptions (FDE) were studied. Of these, 12 were due to tetracyclines and 4 were due to analgesics (3 from pyrazolone derivatives and 1 from acetylsalicylic acid). Sixteen of the patients had less than 10 lesions each. The lips were affected in eight instances, and therefore seem preferentially involved. At presentation, seven patients were unaware of a drug relationship to their condition. A comparison of six reported series (including this one) revealed that the causative drugs varied over the years 1956-1983 as well as by region.