BACKGROUND: Drug Reaction Syndrome with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) is an adverse drug reaction, being life-threatening in 10% of cases. CLINICAL CASE:15-year-old male patient attended the pediatric emergency department with a clinical history of morbilliform and pruritic exanthema on the face and neck of 9 days of evolution, extending to the thorax and extremities, accompanied by fever of 38.0 degrees C of 1 day of evolution. The patient had a history of atopy and acne vulgaris, treated with minocycline. On admission the hemogram showed leukocytes 16,900 cells/ml, eosinophils 18.2%, neutrophils 6.2%. Blood chemistry revealed: creatinine 1.92 mg/dl, TSGO 45 U/L, TSGP 287 U/L, CRP: 62.8 mg/L and ESR 21 mm/h. It was decided to admit him to the pediatric intensive care unit, since he complies with 7 RegiSCAR points. CONCLUSION: DRESS syndrome is a severe and potentially fatal reaction; its diagnosis is a challenge due to its heterogeneity and clinical variability. It should be taken into consideration after a detailed interrogation that yields the use of suspicious drugs prior to the onset of symptoms, even though its incidence has not been fully described.