How Do You Know if You Have Stevens Johnson Syndrome

Overview

blisters, severe rash, chest, upper arm — Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)

What is Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)?

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are serious skin conditions that cause your pare to develop rashes, blisters, and so pare. Your mucus membranes, including your eyes, genitalia and mouth, are also affected. If y'all get this status, you'll probable be admitted to a hospital.

Some people consider SJS and TEN to be different diseases, while others consider them to be the aforementioned affliction just at unlike levels of severity. SJS is less intense than TEN. (For instance, skin peeling might affect less than ten% of the entire body in SJS, while skin peeling affects more than 30% of the body in Ten.) However, both weather can be life-threatening.

Are there other names for Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)?

Yes. It is too known as Lyell'southward syndrome, Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis, and Stevens-Johnson syndrome toxic epidermal necrolysis spectrum. It might be called drug-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome or mycoplasma-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome if it'southward linked to a specific cause.

Who gets Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)?

Many cases of SJS happen in children and adults younger than xxx years former, but too occur in others, especially the elderly. More cases of SJS occur in females than males. Infections, like pneumonia, are the most probable cause of SJS in children, whereas medications are the most likely cause of SJS/TEN in adults.

What are the risk factors for developing Stevens-Johnson syndrome?

A combination of factors is probable involved in developing these disorders, including a genetic bias. Environmental factors might cause the gene to be triggered. One of these genetic factors include specific man leukocyte antigens (HLAs) that may increase i's risk of developing SJS or TEN.

Symptoms and Causes

What are the symptoms of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)?

Symptoms of Stevens-Johnson syndrome include:

Pare pain.
Fever.
Body aches.
Red rash or red blotches on your skin.
Cough.
Blisters and sores on the skin and on mucus membranes of the rima oris, throat, eyes, genitals and anus.
Peeling pare.
Drooling (because closing the mouth is painful).
Eyes sealed shut (due to blisters and swelling).
Painful urination (due to blistered mucus membranes).

What causes Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)?

Causes of Stevens-Johnson syndrome include:

Allergic reaction to a medication (most cases of SJS and near all cases of TEN).
Infections, like mycoplasma pneumonia, herpes and hepatitis A.
Vaccinations.
Graft-versus-host disease.
No known cause.

If your case of SJS is caused by a drug, symptoms announced most one to three weeks afterward you start taking medication. The flu-like illness (fever, cough and headache, peel pain) is followed outset by a rash and so peeling. In the instance of Ten, some people even lose hair and nails.

What drugs are most likely to cause Stevens-Johnson syndrome?

Medications most probable to cause Stevens-Johnson syndrome include:

Antibacterial sulfa drugs.
Anti-epileptic drugs, including phenytoin (Dilantin®), carbamazepine (Tegretol®), lamotrigine (Lamictal®), and phenobarbital (Luminal®).
Allopurinol (Aloprim®, Zyloprim®), a drug used to treat gout and kidney stones.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including piroxicam (Feldene®), nevirapine (Viramune®), and diclofenac (Cambia®, Flector®).
Antibiotics.

Are there other factors that increment the risk of someone developing Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)?

Y'all are at greater take a chance of SJS if yous have the following conditions:

Os marrow transplant.
Systemic lupus erythematosus.
Man immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Other chronic diseases of joints and connective tissue.
Cancer.
Weakened immune organization.
Family history of SJS.
Variation of a specific gene called human leukocyte antigen-B.

Diagnosis and Tests

How is Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) diagnosed?

Healthcare providers diagnose SJS and TEN:

By looking at the skin and mucous membranes affected (typically at least ii mucous membranes are affected).
By your hurting level.
By how fast your peel has been affected.
By how much of your skin has been affected.
By taking a skin biopsy.

Management and Treatment

How is Stevens-Johnson syndrome treated?

Treatments for Stevens-Johnson syndrome include:

Stopping the medication that has caused the problem.
Replacing electrolytes with intravenous (Four) fluids.
Using non-adhesive dressings on the affected skin.
Using high-calorie food, mayhap by tube-feeding, to promote healing.
Using antibiotics when needed to foreclose infection.
Providing hurting relief medications.
Treating you in a hospital, possibly even in an intensive care or burn down unit.
Using specialist teams from dermatology and ophthalmology (if your eyes are afflicted).
In some cases, treating you lot with IV immunoglobulin, cyclosporine, IV steroids, or amniotic membrane grafts (for your optics).

What are the complications of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS)?

The most severe complication of SJS and 10 is expiry. Death happens in about 10% of cases of SJS, and about 50% of TEN. Other complications could include:

Pneumonia.
Sepsis (massive bacterial infections).
Shock.
Multiple organ failure.

Prevention

Tin can Stevens-Johnson syndrome be prevented?

No. Since Stevens-Johnson syndrome is, in most cases, triggered past medications, there'southward no fashion to know – before taking medications – that you might experience an adverse reaction to the drug. If a medication is identified that has triggered this condition, you will desire to avoid that drug or related drug once again.

Outlook / Prognosis

What is the outlook for people who have Stevens-Johnson syndrome?

Each person'southward feel with Stevens-Johnson syndrome tin can be different. Skin can regrow in a matter of weeks, but recovery can take months if symptoms are severe. Some long-term reactions may develop, including:

Peel: dryness, itching, modify in peel colour.
Eyes: chronic swelling and/or dryness, chronic irritation, difficulty seeing, sensitivity to light (photophobia).
Excessive sweating.
Lung damage, chronic obstructive pulmonary affliction, asthma.
Blast loss or deformity.
Hair loss (alopecia).
Dryness of mucus membranes, which could cause problems urinating.
Chronic fatigue syndrome.
Difficulties with your sense of taste.

SJS may redevelop if you are exposed to the same medication known to have triggered the condition the first time. In such cases, the second episode is usually more severe than the first episode.

SJS results in death in ten% of patients and in thirty% for those with TEN – due mostly to sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiple organ failure.

How Do You Know if You Have Stevens Johnson Syndrome

Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17656-stevens-johnson-syndrome