Cutaneous Adverse Reactions of Amiodarone
Krzysztof Jaworski, Irena Walecka, Lidia Rudnicka, Maciej Gnatowski, Dariusz A. Kosior
(Department of Cardiology and Hypertension, Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior, Warsaw, Poland)
Med Sci Monit 2014; 20:2369-2372
DOI: 10.12659/MSM.890881
Published: 2014-11-21

Abstract:
Dermatological complications of amiodarone are commonly encountered problems in therapy. The incidence in the population of patients with prolonged use of amiodarone reaches nearly 75% according to various sources. Nevertheless, they are often misdiagnosed or overlooked. The aim of this review is to present the current state of knowledge about skin changes induced by amiodarone, including phototoxic and photoallergic reactions, as well as hyperpigmentation. In most cases, the adverse effects are reversible and disappear after discontinuation of the drug. Although the dermatological complications usually do not influence the outcome of the therapy and rarely cause discontinuation of treatment, they have a great impact on patient quality of life.
Keywords: Dermatitis, Photoallergic - pathology, Amiodarone - therapeutic use, Dermatitis, Phototoxic - pathology, Humans, Hyperpigmentation - chemically induced, Skin - drug effects






