Familial tendency in hypersensitivity reactions to co-trimoxazole
Mohanasundaram, J.; Rajaram, S.; Mohanasundaram, S.
Journal of the Indian Medical Association 96(1): 21-22
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5847 PMID: 9601187 Document Number: 6796
Co-trimoxazole is an effective broad spectrum antimicrobial combination of sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim which has been in clinical use for more than three decades. It is mainly used in urinary tract infections, respiratory infections, gastro-intestinal infections, etc, (it has gained much importance in controlling opportunistic infections like Pneumocystis carinii after the rampant spread of AIDS). The combination is bactericidal and its main advantages are broader spectrum of action, slow development of resistance and being very cheap. However, its use is limited by the prevalence of adverse drug reactions which include hypersensitivity reactions manifested as cutaneous eruptions like maculopapular rashes, fixed drug eruptions, etc. Haemopoietic manifestations like haemolytic anaemia, granulocytopenia and thrombocytopenia also occur occasionally and other allergic manifestations rarely seen are serum sickness, hepatitis, vasculitis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, etc. In our country even today co-trimoxazole is one of the agents frequently used to treat common bacterial infections in majority of the primary
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