Aspects cliniques des allergies cutanées graves (toxidermies exclues)

Abstract

Some skin diseases require emergency medical intervention when they are life-threatening or when the eruption is spectacular and brutal and the patient has an elevated temperature. We will discuss the clinical presentations of these conditions, excluding cutaneous drugs eruptions. Patients with severe atopic dermatitis may require brief hospitalisation if their eczema is generalized, refractory to classical therapy, or there are infectious complications, as in the Kaposi-Juliusberg syndrome when the condition is associated with a secondary herpetic infection. Acute urticaria and angioedema are frequent causes of emergency room-visits. They can be the result of drug allergy, food allergy, allergy to stinging insects or contact urticaria. However, the cause is not always identified, even after a complete allergy work-up. Some cases of contact eczema are spectacular, in particular when the face is severely oedematous. Paraphenylenediamine, topical corticosteroids and topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often the cause of severe delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions.