Skin Rashes with Penicillin Therapy: Current Management

Administration of penicillins and cephalosporins is associated with a variety of adverse reactions —e.g., anaphylaxis, drug fever, Coombs-positive hemolytic reactions, agranulocytosis, interstitial nephritis and drug rashes. Of these, drug rashes are the most common. Urticarial, erythematous or morbilliform (also termed maculopapular or exanthematic) eruptions are seen most often. More rarely associated with penicillin therapy are erythema nodosum, erythema multiforme and purpuric, eczematous or vesiculobullous eruptions. These clinical lesions have been illustrated in color in an article by Harris and Baer.1 Drug rashes occur in 1 to 7 per cent of patient courses of penicillins and are responsible for a number . . .