Discriminating ‘DRESS minor’ from ‘DRESS major’: facial oedema aligns to the severe phenotype

Capsule summaryHow does this article integrate into what is already known? DRESS is a drug allergy syndrome characterised by a dermatosis and internal organ damage. Severely-affected individuals can develop life-threatening organ injury. Skin involvement is typified by an exanthem with a variety of secondary skin signs, some of which may align with disease severity. We propose a nomenclature to distinguish the mild form, DRESS minor, from the severe form, DRESS major.How does it change your practice? Patients with facial oedema are more likely to have DRESS major. Histologically, an interface dermatitis, basal cell squamatisation and red cell extravasation all align to DRESS major. Assessment of skin signs and dermatopathological features can help clinicians offer a graded prognosis in DRESS.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology - Category: Dermatology Authors: Source Type: research