ABSTRACT
Acetylcysteine is used mainly as a mucolytic drug to reduce the viscosity of mucous secretions, in the management of paracetamol overdose, and as a protective agent for renal function in contrast medium-induced nephropathy. Acetylcysteine is essentially a prodrug that is converted to cysteine in the intestine and absorbed there into the blood stream. Her treatment at presentation consisted of fluorometholone, sodium cromoglycate eye drops, in addition to hypromellose and N-acetylcysteine drops as tear replacement. Patch tests were positive to N-acetylcysteine eye drops; 14 controls were negative. The symptoms had developed since she started working in a general ward, where she mixed N-acetylcysteine with normal saline, and improved during the weekends. The symptoms had developed since she started working in a general ward, where she mixed N-acetylcysteine (NAC) with normal saline, and improved during the weekends. Patch tests were positive to NAC 10% pet., as were intradermal tests with NAC at 1 and 10 mg/ml in 0.9% saline, read at D2.
