Publication:

Severe fatal form of dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome: a case report

Dapsone is widely used for Hansen’s disease, dermatitis herpetiformis and other immune and hypersensitivity disorder rarely used in children, can cause fatal severe form of adverse reaction with multiorgan involvement. Dapsone Hypersensitivity Syndrome (DHS) typically presents with a triad of fever, skin eruption, and internal organ (lung, liver, neurological and other systems) involvement, that occurs during first 2 to 8 weeks of initiating the treatment. The incidence of DHS ranges from 0.5% to 3%.We present an eight year child who developed this uncommon condition following two week of dapsone therapy. Child was presented with erythematous skin rash with severe hemolysis and deranged liver profile. With initial treatment child was not responded and required systemic glucocorticoids for long duration. It is emphasized that the clinician must be aware of the syndrome and promptly identified, as it can cause irreversible organ damage or death if untreated early.