Dermatitis medicamentosa

Dermatitis medicamentosa or contact dermatitis to topically applied medicaments, excipients or active ingredients, is encountered frequently in clinical practice and should be suspected in patients showing resistance to treatment despite adequate therapy and in those who complains of intolerance to a particular treatment. Although about one-third of all cases of contact dermatitis are initiated or perpetuated by topical medicaments, not many population based studies are available. The incidence of hypersensitivity to these allergens varies across regions and period of time depending upon the prescribing habits, interest of the clinician in the field of contact dermatitis and types of cases studied.