Association between HLA-B*15:02 allele and antiepileptic drug-induced severe cutaneous reactions in Hong Kong Chinese: a population-based study.

The presence of HLA-B*15:02 allele greatly increases the risk of carbamazepine-induced severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions, namely Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).1,2 It is unknown whether HLA-B*15:02 also confers increased risk of SJS/TEN induced by other anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). HLA-B*15:02 in single cases of SJS/TEN is reported to be induced by phenytoin and lamotrigine.1,3 This study examined the association between HLA-B*15:02 allele and SJS/ TEN induced by different AEDs.