Drug Hypersensitivity Syndrome (DHS) or Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) is defined as

• A. A mild skin reaction after weeks
• B. A severe idiosyncratic multi-system reaction defined by fever, rash, and internal organ involvement, which may occur 1-8 weeks after medicine exposure
• C. An immediate anaphylactic reaction
• D. A skin-only hypersensitivity reaction

Answer: (B)

DRESS/DHS is a severe, idiosyncratic drug hypersensitivity that involves multiple organ systems, not just the skin. It typically presents with fever, a generalized rash, eosinophilia, and evidence of internal organ involvement (such as liver, kidney, or lung damage) after a delay of about 1–8 weeks from drug exposure. This option precisely describes the combination of systemic illness, organ involvement, and timing, which is what defines DRESS/DHS. By contrast, a mild skin reaction lacks systemic features, an immediate reaction is more like an IgE-mediated anaphylaxis occurring within minutes to hours, and a skin-only hypersensitivity does not account for the multi-organ involvement characteristic of DRESS/DHS.