Antipsychotics Induced Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) Syndrome: Literature Review and a Report of a Suspected Case Related to Chlorpromazine

Introduction/background: Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms reaction (DRESS) syndrome is a serious, potentially life-threatening drug side effect associated with more and more drugs. However, antipsychotics have rarely been involved in such condition. Case Report: We report here a suspected case of chlorpromazine induced DRESS syndrome in a 33-year-old woman with a history of allergic rhinitis and bipolar disorder who has reported an unexplored generalized skin eruption after taking chlorpromazine 10 years before. Only 24 hours after starting the therapy, the patient developed erythematous skin eruption on her limbs and her trunk with biological abnormalities, including liver enzyme elevation and eosinophilia. Skin eruption disappeared spontaneously within 3 days after therapy discontinuation and subsequently, biological abnormalities regressed. Patch tests were performed and were positive for chlorpromazine. At same time, we performed a literature review of the DRESS syndrome induced by antipsychotics. No patch tests were performed for those cases. Conclusion: Clinicians should be aware of such clinical features after starting patients on antipsychotics to withdraw the culprit drug as early as possible and avoid further complications.