Interface dermatitis as an indicator of hepatic involvement in drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS).

Abstract

There are conflicting reports on the association between interface dermatitis and hepatic involvement in DRESS. A cross-sectional analysis of the clinical and the histopathologic features of DRESS was performed to study the association between the histopathology of the skin rash and hepatic involvement. The clinical and the histopathologic findings were evaluated in 40 cases of DRESS. Thirty patients (75%) had a hepatic involvement. Thirty (75%) biopsy specimens showed a combination of different inflammatory patterns. The interface dermatitis was noted in 24 specimens (60%). Twenty-one patients with the interface dermatitis had a hepatic involvement (P = .04). The skin rash of DRESS often shows the coexistence of different inflammatory patterns. The interface dermatitis showed a statistically significant association with the hepatic involvement in DRESS.