title: Clinical features of fixed drug eruption at a tertiary hospital in Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fixed drug eruption (FDE) is characterized by a well-defined erythematous patch, plaque, or bullous eruption that recurs at the same site as the result of systemic exposure to a causative drug, and resolves with or without hyperpigmentation. This study was carried out to identify the common causative drugs and clinical features of FDE in Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed electronic medical records of all patients diagnosed with FDE from January 2000 to December 2010 at a tertiary hospital in Korea.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 134 cases were diagnosed as FDE. The mean age was 35.9 years (range, 0-82 years) and 69 (51.5%) of the patients were male. The mean duration from the first event to attending hospital was 1.9 years (range, 1-20 years). The mean number of recurrences was 2.6 (1-10), and 72.6% of patients sought medical care after experiencing symptoms twice or more. Four patients (3.1%) needed hospitalization. The most common sites were the upper extremities (47.7%), followed by the lower extremities, face, abdomen, chest, buttocks and perineum. Clear documentation on the causative drugs was available for 38 patients (28.4%), and among these, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen accounted for 71.1% of cases, and antibiotics accounted for 15.8%. Eighty patients (59.7%) underwent active treatment for FDE, and topical steroids were most frequently prescribed (43.3%), with systemic steroids used in 11.2% of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NSAIDs and acetaminophen were the main causative agents of FDE, however, the causative agents were not assessed in 25% of patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea. ; Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea. ; Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Heon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Han
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea. ; Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung-Up
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: Min
authors.affiliation: Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea. ; Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Ryun
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kang
keywords: Fixed drug eruption; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug