THE SPECTRUM OF CUTANEOUS REACTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH DILTIAZEM - 3 CASES AND A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Background: Cutaneous reactions ranging from exanthems to severe adver se events have been reported in association with calcium channel block ers. Objective: Our purpose was to document cutaneous eruptions result ing from use of diltiazem. Methods: We describe three patients who exp erienced a cutaneous reaction (i.e., hypersensitivity syndrome reactio n, pruritic exanthematous eruption, and acute generalized exanthematou s pustulosis) possibly induced by diltiazem, summarize adverse reactio n reports obtained from the Health Protection Branch, and review the l iterature on calcium channel blockers inducing cutaneous reactions.Res ults: Of the 315 cases of possible diltiazem-induced adverse reactions that were reported to the Health Protection Branch, 151 (48%) were cu taneous. The number of diltiazem-induced cutaneous events was signific antly greater than those induced by either nifedipine or verapamil. Ho wever, no difference was found in the proportion of serious cutaneous adverse events to either of the three drugs. Conclusion: Diltiazem has been associated with a variety of cutaneous reactions that appear to occur more frequently than with other calcium channel blockers.