SINDROME DE STEVENS JOHNSON

STEVENS-JOHNSON SYNDROME (SJS)

The facts about

RISKS

SJS and TENS are life-threatening reactions. If left untreated, they

can result in death. Complications can include permanent blind-

ness, dry-eye syndrome, photophobia, lung damage, chronic obstruc-

tive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, permanent loss of nail beds,

scarring of the esopha-

gus and other mucous

membranes, arthritis,

and chronic fatigue syn-

drome. Many patient’s

pores scar shut, causing

them to retain heat.

These are just some of

the side-effects that have

been reported.

TREATMENT

First and foremost, affected persons must stop taking the offend-

ing drug immediately to prevent complications.

Treatment for SJS is good supportive care. Because patients literal-

ly burn from the inside out, burn, infectious disease, ophthalmology

and dermatology teams are recommended. IV fluids and high calorie

formulas are given to promote healing. Antibiotics are given when

necessary to prevent secondary infections such as sepsis. Pain med-

ications such as morphine are administered to make the patient as

comfortable as possible.

Most SJS patients can be managed in medical ICU or pediatric

ICU. Patients with TENS should be treated in a burn unit.

DRUG REACTIONS: A SERIOUS ISSUE

Drug reactions are one of the leading causes of

death in the United States. Yet, less than one

percent are reported to the FDA, because there is

no mandatory reporting system in effect for post-

marketing adverse drug reactions.

Similarly, no one has an accurate count of the

cases of SJS and TENS. Although SJS is listed as a

rare disease, it may be more prevalent than pre-

viously thought.

WHO WE ARE

The SJS Foundation was founded to be a

resource to SJS victims and their families.

Our mission is to provide support services,

and compile and distribute valuable infor-

mation about SJS to the public and medical

professionals regarding treatments and thera-

pies that may prove beneficial to SJS sufferers.

We work to promote awareness about the

signs of SJS so that a quick diagnosis can be

made and the offending agent stopped as

soon as possible.

©2006 SJS Foundation

Duplication of the information and photographs

contained herein is strictly prohibited.

All rights reserved.

SJS: WHAT IS IT?

Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), and

TENS (Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis

Syndrome)—another form of SJS—are severe

adverse reactions to medication. Adverse drug

reactions (ADR’s) account for approximately

150,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone,

making drug reactions the fourth leading

cause of death in the United States.

SJS is one of the most debilitating ADR’s

recognized. It was first discovered in 1922 by pediatricians A.M.

Stevens and F.C. Johnson after diagnosing a child with severe ocular

and oral involvement to a drug reaction.

WHAT CAN CAUSE SJS?

Almost any medication including over-the-counter drugs, such

as Ibuprofen, can cause SJS. Most commonly implicated

drugs are anti-convulsants, antibiotics (such as sulfa, penicillin and

cephalosporin) and anti-inflammatory medications.

WHO CAN GET SJS OR TENS?

Although SJS afflicts people of all ages,

a large amount of its victims are chil-

dren. More female cases have been report-

ed than male, however it does not dis-

criminate against anyone. The SJS

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