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Pharmacopsychiatry 2019; 52(03): 156-159
DOI: 10.1055/a-0586-8983
Letter to the Editor
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Clozapine-Induced DRESS Syndrome: A Case Series From the AMSP Multicenter Drug Safety Surveillance Project

Bruna Sanader
1   Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
,
Renate Grohmann
1   Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
,
Philipp Grötsch
2   Department of Psychiatry, University Clinic Basel, Basel, Switzerland
,
Thomas Schumann
3   Psychiater Luzern Dr. Sabine Abele AG, Luzern/Lucerne, Switzerland
,
Sermin Toto
4   Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover, Germany
,
Piyumi Fernando
1   Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
,
Susanne Stübner
5   Deparment of Psychiatry, Kbo-IAK, Academic Teaching Hospital of the Ludwig Maximilian University, Haar/Munich, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 28 November 2017
revised 01 February 2018

accepted 28 February 2018

Publication Date:
19 March 2018 (online)

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Abstract

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is an infrequent, but severe, adverse drug-induced reaction which occurs due to massive T-cell stimulation resulting in cytotoxicity and eosinophil activation and recruitment. The incidence is 0.4 cases per 100, 0000 in the general population; the mortality rate is up to 10%. Therefore, we believe that recognizing this syndrome is of particular importance. The problem we notice is that DRESS is often seen and described in patients receiving rheumatologic or anticonvulsant drugs, but very rarely in psychiatric hospitals, where Clozapine is frequently used, and that is the importance of this paper. DRESS Syndrome must be recognized promptly, and causative drugs withdrawn. Indeed, it has been reported that the earlier the drug withdrawal, the better the prognosis. In this paper, we present three cases of Clozapine-induced DRESS. All cases were recorded in the Multicenter Drug Safety Surveillance Project (AMSP).

Key words

Clozapine - DRESS - drug-induced reaction
 

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