Management
A review of the literature does not reveal a consen- sus about any specific treatment plan except for sup-
Figure 2. Erythema involving the hand of the case patient, with papules and crusted vesicles in the interdigital areas.
portive care and avoidance of the causative agent. Symptomatic topical care with emollients and cortico- steroids is a commonly observed practice. However, there is a case report describing successful treatment of AGEP with intravenously administered corticosteroids.5 Spontaneous resolution of the disorder generally occurs, as it did with the case patient.
Determination of the offending agent causing AGEP can be made with either a drug lymphocyte stimulation test2 or a patch test. Patch testing seems to be more reliable in diagnosing acute drug reactions such as AGEP, with less benefit shown in diagnosing Stevens-Johnson syndrome or toxic epidermal necroly- sis.6,7 Rechallenge with the suspected drug is danger- ous and should be avoided.