Stevens Johnson Syndrome: When the Cure Is Worse Than the Disease

August 26, 2010, 1:00PM. By Heidi Turner

Dallas, TXIt is a pain that only those who have experienced Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) can fully understand: lesions and blisters all over the body and skin that sloughs off are just some of the symptoms patients experience. The most frightening part is that SJS seems indiscriminate in its targets.

Why patients develop Stevens Johnson Syndrome is not fully understood. What is known is that the condition is a very rare, yet severe, allergic reaction to medications. The condition often starts as a painful rash, sometimes with blisters. By the time the patient is diagnosed, his skin may start sloughing off, exposing large areas of flesh.

In addition to losing the outer layer of skin, patients may also experience sloughing of their mucous membranes and of the lining of their internal organs. Those who survive their experiences often have permanent scarring, damage to their eyesight and damage to their tear ducts.

Some patients fall into a coma. Some die from their injuries.

Patients may have no idea they are allergic to the medication until the reaction occurs. People have developed Stevens Johnson Syndrome after taking a wide variety of medications, including medications as seemingly harmless as headache remedies.

The Times of India reported on 8/26/10 that Gunasundari, 24, saw doctors at the end of July with complaints of fever and cough. She was reportedly given medications that included a combination of ibuprofen-paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen). Within five days, she was complaining of rashes and itching. Two days later, she had severe skin lesions. Gunasundari was diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome and died two weeks later.

One patient who survived her ordeal is Kendra Schmidt, who developed SJS two years ago after taking a prescription medication. According to the News-Record on 7/30/10, Schmidt was in the hospital for two to two and a half months. She required pig skin for a graft because she did not have any viable skin. Schmidt has a prosthetic over one eye and a special lens over the other eye. She does not have fingernails and has broken her toe three times since her ordeal.