Multi‐institutional retrospective review of acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) induced by hydroxychloroquine

Abstract

Abstract Background Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is a rare and severe cutaneous drug eruption. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is one of the known culprit drugs with less than 60 cases reported in the literature, and may have a more severe clinical presentation compared to AGEP induced by other drugs. There are no standardized management strategies for HCQ‐induced AGEP outside of drug discontinuation. Objectives Characterize the clinical presentation of HCQ‐induced AGEP and management strategies. Methods Retrospective chart review of nine patients clinically diagnosed with HCQ‐induced AGEP using the EuroSCAR score from 2017 to 2022 at four academic medical centres in the United States. Results All patients in our series were female and the median age was 52. Four patients initially presented with fever, and eight patients had neutrophilia. Median time to rash was 15 days. Biopsies obtained in six patients showed typical characteristics of AGEP. In most patients, rash morphology consisted of generalized pinpoint pustules atop atypical targetoid lesions and annular plaques. Five patients were hospitalized for AGEP. All patients were treated with methylprednisolone and/or prednisone, and the average days treated with systemic corticosteroids was 35. Conclusions Our case series is the largest to date describing HCQ‐induced AGEP. Clinicians should be wary that HCQ‐induced AGEP may present with a longer latency period after drug initiation and with atypical targetoid and annular lesions. Early initiation of systemic corticosteroids should be considered due to the severity of this drug reaction with addition of cyclosporine in refractory cases.

Keywords

• acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis
• AGEP
• drug eruption
• hydroxychloroquine
• severe cutaneous adverse reaction