Stevens Johnson Syndrome: The Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Sometimes a burn can occur without a fire, without steam and without extreme temperatures.  Sometimes, a burn is a severe allergic reaction to a medication or to an infection that results in inflammation, red or purple blistering and the destruction of the top layer of skin.  This type of allergic reaction is called Stevens- Johnson Syndrome and it is a medical emergency.

Causes
It is unclear what causes Stevens Johnson Syndrome.  Often, it is an allergic reaction to an anti-inflammatory drug, an antibiotic or an anticonvulsant medication.  However, it is not clear why some people have such severe reactions to medications that we think of as common, such as penicillin.

The most common infections to causes Stevens Johnson Syndrome include herpes, the flu, HIV, Diphtheria, Typhoid and Hepatitis. Again, it is unclear why a case of influenza would cause some people to develop this severe reaction while the majority of the population does not suffer from it.

Symptoms
It is important to recognize the symptoms of this condition so that you can get prompt medical treatment.  Most people experience fever, sore throat, cough and burning eyes days before the rash appears.  However, most people are not aware that these things could be symptoms of this serious condition and instead think that they are symptoms of the underlying illness such as the flu or infection for which they are taking medication.

Once the rash appears it is often red or purple and blistery.  Swelling or skin shedding may also occur.  It is important to seek immediate medical attention when these serious symptoms arise.  It is thought that treatment within the first 24-48 hours of this syndrome can help limit its severity.

Treatment
Stevens Johnson Syndrome is so serious that it always requires hospitalization.  Most often a patient will be hospitalized in the intensive care unit or burn unit.  The medical team will most likely stop all nonessential medications until the cause of the problem is found.  The patient will be placed on an antibiotic that he or she is not allergic to in order to prevent infection and will receive fluid replacements.

A patient’s skin will be treated for burns.  The type of treatment will depend on the severity of the problem, just as it does for burns.  If the skin damage is significant then a patient may need skin grafting in order to recover.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is a severe and life threatening complication.  Patients should take the symptoms seriously and seek emergency medical services in order to recover from it.