Anti-epileptic drugs induce cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen down-regulation leading to potential human Herpes Virus-7 reactivation in clinically asymptomatic patients.

Anti-epileptic drugs (AED) are known to cause cutaneous adverse drug-induced reactions. The pathogenesis of these drug-induced reactions remains poorly understood. In our previous multicenter prospective study, we evidenced reactivation of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV-6) and/or Human Herpes Virus 7 (HHV-7) in 76% of Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptom (DRESS) patients. As a consequence of this increased viral antigen exposure, EBV-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes that expressed high levels of Cutaneous Lymphocyte-associated Antigen (CLA) homing markers of skin were found both in blood and in involved organs including skin. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.