Published on March 2021 | Pharmacology, ADRs

DAPSONE HYPERSENSITIVITY SYNDROME: A COMPLICATION OF DAPSONE THERAPY

Dapsone is chemically sulfonamide with its leprostatic mechanism used in the treatment of Hansen’s disease. It is one of the safest drugs in leprosy patients. Apart from its safety, it is associated with various adverse effects such as hemolytic anemia, allergic dermatitis, agranulocytosis, methaemoglobinemia, and dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome (DHS). DHS typically presents with fever, skin eruptions, Jaundice, and hepatomegaly (organ involvement). We present a case of 35-year-old female attended to Government General Hospital with complaints of fever, skin rashes, and yellowish discoloration of the eyes. She had past medication history of dapsone taken for paucibacillary leprosy for 4 weeks. Her symptoms appeared after a month and become intolerable to dapsone. Laboratory investigations revealed hepatomegaly, anemic with jaundice. Based on dermatological examination, her diagnosis was confirmed as DHS. The drug was stopped and the patient was treated with drugs for the symptomatic cure. She was recovered from her condition and the multibacillary leprosy multidrug treatment regimen was continued without dapsone.