Stevens Johnson: A Potentially Deadly Skin Disorder Usually Caused By Adverse Drug Reactions

Stevens Johnson: A Potentially Deadly Skin Disorder Usually Caused By Adverse Drug Reactions

Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a disorder known to be deadly in 5 to 15% of those who develop it. Though the cause is related to the immune system and involves a complex set of metabolic pathways, these are usually set in play from one major cause - negative drug reactions. When the body is unable to metabolize the chemicals in a drug, this very painful skin condition can be the result.

The major part of the body affected in SJS is the outer layer of skin, which protects and isolates the body’s systems from the environment. This layer effectively functions to keep out all kinds of pathogens and limit exposure to the elements. When SJS compromises the boundary, one’s entire system might be affected. Medical treatment involves prompt quarantine to ensure that these factors are limited and the vulnerable victim is allowed to heal and cleanse the aggravating agent from the body. The risk is that one suffering SJS might also suffer complications of infection.

Since 1995, the Stevens Johnson Syndrome Foundation has been educating the public about how allergic responses to medicine can cause this painful, sometimes fatal disease. Their organization tracks the mortality rate of SJS and reports on the Journal of the American Medical Association’s findings that an adverse reaction to medications has repeatedly ranked in the top 10 causes of death in America. It is also useful to note that the Journal’s research is taken from among administrations in hospitals, not encompassing the home use that often sends patients to the hospital. Essentially, the non-profit awareness group estimates that SJS is a more insidious problem than most are aware.

The group’s effort at education involves raising the profile of symptoms so that a diagnosis may be made as quickly as possible. Their mission holds that it is essential so that the offending stimulus may be stopped. They also seek to support families who have lost loved ones and those who have lived through SJS.

There is significant overlap between SJS and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). Though the latter is much more severe, with approximately twice as many cases resulting in death, both involve the following:

• Flu-like feelings at the onset

• Painful blistering which often involves mucous membranes

• Ocular involvement that may be severe

• Blistered areas come off the body in sheets

TEN is diagnosed when 10 to 30% of the body is affected. This greater loss of the body’s primary immune organ - the integument - includes greater risk of infection.

If a victim, or those around him, understand the gravity of this injury and the serious signs when they appear, immediately taking him to the hospital for the treatment and therapies available there offer the best chance for preventing permanent damage. The extent of blistering is usually fully developed within 4 days.

If you or someone you know has firsthand knowledge of SJS, read on to discover more about how a legal response sometimes recovers associated costs of treatment and compensation for your suffering.