Serious cutaneous adverse reactions to traditional Chinese medicines

YL Lim, T Thirumoorthy
Correspondence: Dr Lim Yen Loo, yllim@nsc.gov.sg

ABSTRACT
Introduction Serious cutaneous adverse reactions to traditional medicines are not well described or reported in the literature, despite growing use of these medicines.
Methods This is a case series of four patients who were found to have various serious cutaneous adverse reactions to the traditional Chinese medicines that they had taken.
Results In this series, there was a patient with toxic epidermal necrolysis from traditional Chinese medicine, another with acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis from piroxicam and salicylate-contaminated traditional Chinese medicine, and two patients with drug hypersensitivity syndrome--one from traditional Chinese medicine and the other from phenylbutazone-adulterated traditional Chinese medicine.
Conclusion The series illustrates that serious cutaneous adverse reactions do occur with traditional medicines and emphasises the importance of being aware of such reactions.

Keywords: adverse reaction, cutaneous reaction, drug reaction, traditional Chinese medicine
Singapore Med J 2005; 46(12): 714-717