title: Serious cutaneous adverse reactions to traditional Chinese medicines.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The series illustrates that serious cutaneous adverse reactions do occur with traditional medicines and emphasises the importance of being aware of such reactions.
authors.affiliation: Dermatology Unit, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore 169608. yllim@nsc.gov.sg
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thirumoorthy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002613:Cheilitis / Q000139:chemically induced; D003875:Drug Eruptions / Q000209:etiology*; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005076:Exanthema / Q000139:chemically induced; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000139:chemically induced; D013262:Stevens-Johnson Syndrome / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal