Inmate Suffering from Stevens Johnson Syndrome after Medicine Changed behind Bars

June 19, 2010, 8:00AM. By Gordon Gibb

Lafayette, INAs of last week, Lekeia Brown, an inmate at Tippecanoe County Jail, had yet to be moved to the burn unit at Methodist Hospital despite suffering severe pain from Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) after her medication was changed.

WLFI 18 Television of Lafayette, Indiana reported on June 11 that the 24-year-old mother was serving time for nonpayment of child support. Brown was on medication while in jail, and told the television station that a change in her medication had triggered SJS.

Law enforcement officials would not comment on the medication Brown was taking. What is clear is that over a four-week period, Brown began noticing lesions erupting across her face, neck and lips. A WLFI news camera captured images of Brown after she had been rushed to hospital from her jail cell, barely able to talk and unable to open her eyes.

"I kept complaining and complaining [to jail staff] then by the fourth week this is what I looked like," said Brown in an interview with a television news reporter.

Video images of the woman, captured by a WLFI news camera as she lay in her hospital bed, are in stark contrast to her Facebook profile photo, which depicts a smiling young woman with a completely clear complexion.

Salient News reported on June 17 that Brown suffers from a seizure disorder and her medication was related to her condition. Following the change to a different medication while still in jail, Brown told WLFI that she became dehydrated and dizzy. "I was getting my migraines back," she said painfully.

There appears to be some dispute related to the response of nursing staff employed by the correctional facility where Brown was housed. Brown allegedly complained about her symptoms after the switch to the new medication, but her complaints fell on deaf ears while her conditioned worsened. Brown's sister-in-law Alysha Banks, whom Brown turned to for help, told the television station, "My sister-in-law is in severe pain and no one is looking at her and it's bad. No one called me back and the next morning she was rushed to the hospital."

The Sherriff for Tippecanoe County, Tracy Brown (no relation to the accused), appeared on camera to say that privacy laws forbade him from commenting on specifics of the case, but that the department was reviewing the incident to ensure policy and protocols were followed. While doctors are only available through an outside contractor, there are three full-time nurses on staff at the correctional facility.

"They are evaluating on a constant basis, that patient's condition and trying to make a determination as to, 'Has this condition arisen to the level that we need to consult or get outside help,'" said Tracy Brown.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome symptoms can emerge from an adverse reaction to medication and trigger what is sometimes a life-threatening condition affecting the skin, eyes and areas inside the mouth. A rash can evolve into lesions, which can morph into full-blown Stevens Johnson Syndrome skin disease, causing large swaths of skin to slough away from the body. Many SJS victims are treated in the burn units of hospitals. SJS continues to be relatively rare, but the most severe cases can lead to death.