BMJ 1995;310:738 (18 March)

Letters

Side effect of quinine for nocturnal cramps

EDITOR,--Malcolm Man-Son-Hing and George Wells report a meta-analysis of the use of quinine for nocturnal night cramps in elderly people.1 I wish to draw attention to lichenoid photosensitivity related to quinine, which is a poorly recognised but, I suspect, a relatively common side effect of this treatment. I first became aware of it in 1982, and until my retirement in 1991 I saw nine patients affected by it. All were elderly women taking quinine for nocturnal cramps. I have reported five of these cases previously.2 The following points are worth emphasising: all nine patients had lesions on the dorsa of the hands (figure); none of the patients initially associated the skin eruption with quinine, and most could be persuaded of the association only with difficulty; and the eruption cleared in all cases when quinine was withdrawn.


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 Lichenoid photosensitivity related to quinine in 70 year old woman

Retired consultant dermatologist Portadown, . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Meta-analysis of efficacy of quinine for treatment of nocturnal leg cramps in elderly people
Malcolm Man-Son-Hing and George Wells
BMJ 1995 310: 13-17. [Abstract] [Full Text]

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