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B. J. Vermeer, MD; F. J. H. Claas, PhD
Departments of Dermatology and Immunohaematology University Medical Centre 2333 AA Leiden, the Netherlands

Arch Dermatol. 1985;121(6):715-716.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

We read with much interest the report of Westly and Wechsler¹ on granulocytopenia as a prognostic factor in drug-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis. However, the cause of the granulocytopenia remained obscure. The authors speculated that hypersensitivity immunologic reactions might cause the drug-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis as well as the granulocytopenia; with this respect we would like to report some of our data on drug-induced disorders.

In two patients with drug-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis we could demonstrate drug-dependent antibodies that were directed against monocytes.² Absorption studies revealed that the same drug-dependent antibodies reacted also with epithelial cells of the patients. In one patient, monocytopenia was present just before the drug-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis started. In the total white blood cell counts there was a slight dip up to 4,000, two days after the beginning of the drug-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis.

Our data suggest common determinants on . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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