Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

The passing of former NBA star Manute Bol from an allergic reaction to medication has promoted many people to ask, What is Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and who is at risk? The answers, unfortunately, are not always clear. SJS is a serious skin and mucous membrane condition that has been associated with thousands of medications, both over-the-counter and prescriptions. The most common ones linked to SJS include some of the most widely used medications – ibuprofen and antibiotics. Others on the list are anti-viral and anti-seizure drugs.

One reason why it is hard to pinpoint what medications may cause SJS is because the time it takes for the reaction to occur varies. For some, the symptoms occur almost immediately. Others report experiencing symptoms days, weeks or even a month after taking the offending medication.

SJS is a medical emergency, usually demanding hospitalization. For many, SJS begins with flu-like symptoms such as a fever and sometimes sore throat, cough and burning eyes. A rash develops on the skin and becomes gradually worse, blistering over and causing the top layer of skin to peel away. This exposes the body to life-threatening infections and in many cases, patients with SJS are treated in burn units. Blisters can also form on the mucous membranes, such as the eyes, mouth and genitals. This can lead to serious ocular problems and dehydration.

The most severe form of SJS is toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), which occurs when a larger percentage of the body is affected. Both SJS and TEN can be fatal. Some statistics list TEN with a 40 percent fatality rate.

The condition is rare – affecting about one in a million people – thus, it is often misdiagnosed. Early diagnosis and discontinuation of the offending drug can curtail some of the severity of the condition though in most cases SJS and TEN have to run their course. There is no known treatment, and there is no test to determine who will get SJS or TEN, which makes it even more important for people to understand the symptoms and to act quickly if they experience any adverse reactions after taking medication.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 at 7:00 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.