Quinine-induced cutaneous vasculitis.

We report a 60-year-old woman who developed severe cutaneous vasculitis three weeks after commencing quinine sulphate (300 mg at night) for nocturnal cramps. The patient died despite immunosuppressive treatment with prednisolone and cyclophosphamide. We review three previous cases and conclude that cutaneous vasculitis is a rare but life-threatening complication of treatment with this widely-prescribed drug. Quinine sulphate is prescribed frequently for nocturnal cramps, although its efficacy is unsupported by stringently controlled clinical trials. Adverse reactions to the drug are unusual. We describe a 60-year-old woman with fatal cutaneous vasculitis related to quinine treatment.