Patch Testing as a Diagnostic Method for DRESS Syndrome That Brings Us Closer to a Certain Result: Letter to the Editor

Abstract

The recent clinical report by García-Paz et al [1] on a case of DRESS syndrome due to amoxicillin makes for interesting reading. In this report, a 26-year-old man presented with a rash whose clinical phenotype (according to the RegiSCAR score and patch testing) were all suggestive of DRESS syndrome [1]. The authors highlighted the peculiarities of this index case, which included the following: early onset of symptoms (presumably due to previous exposure to the drug); need for an exhaustive allergology work-up to exclude other potentially involved agents; and planning for the potential utility of the same medication for future treatment. We strongly agree with this observation, although we would like to add that the adjudication process could be further enhanced by ascertaining the potential avoidability of exposure to the culprit drug in the first place. The concept of avoidability is a fast-evolving topic in pharmacoepidemiology [2-5].