Auto Magnate Survives Stevens Johnson Syndrome

Fort Wayne, INZithromax Stevens Johnson Syndrome is a raging demon that doesn’t emerge from its lair very often, but when it does, it can be deadly. Doctors, according to a recent report in The Journal Gazette (11/5/15) of Fort Wayne, Indiana, note that Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS, carries with it a 50 percent rate of mortality.

Tom Kelly is the president of an automotive group and an accomplished amateur golfer who recently recovered from a bout with Stevens Johnson Syndrome; he not only lived to talk about it, but has made a donation to the burn unit of the hospital that treated him.

SJS patients routinely are treated in burn wards given the close similarities to serious burns. Stevens Johnson Syndrome begins as a rash, but soon escalates to full onset blisters that can spread quickly throughout the entire body. Skin can slough away in sheets. Doctors liken SJS to burning from the inside out. SJS can also affect the eyes, leaving them permanently light-sensitive.

Kelly’s saga began when he traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for shoulder replacement surgery. According to The Journal Gazette report, a swab was taken of Kelly’s shoulder during the procedure and a resulting culture revealed a low-grade infection.

In order to combat the infection, Kelly was sent to the ER in Fort Wayne for an antibiotic. While the report did not identify what the particular antibiotic was that Kelly was given, allergic reactions to drugs - including antibiotics such as Zithromax - have been known to trigger Stevens Johnson Syndrome, including Zithromax rash.

Kelly, the head of Kelly Automotive Group, was subsequently diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome and waged a weeks-long battle in intensive care against the grievous condition.

He survived and, as a way of thanking the medical community, made a donation of $100,000 to the Burn Council of Northern Indiana, in recognition of the treatment he received at the St. Joseph Hospital Regional Burn Center.

Various prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs have been linked to Stevens Johnson Syndrome, as has Zithromax, in rare cases. Zithromax side effects can begin with a fairly innocent-looking rash, only to progress to blisters and serious Zithromax reactions quite quickly. Patients can recover, but often after a weeks- or months-long battle, which may leave an individual physically and emotionally scarred.

Plaintiffs in various lawsuits have alleged that drug companies are lax in warning consumers about the potential for deadly SJS, including Zithromax Stevens Johnson Syndrome.