Treating Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis with high dose of glucocorticosteroids: report of seven cases and review of the literature
Keywords:
Stevens Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, corticosteroids, cutaneous eruptionsAbstract
Introduction: Stevens- Johnson (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are considered to be the same diseases but of different severities across a spectrum; they are severe drug reactions characterized by a progressive involvement of skin and mucous membranes, caused by alterations in the immune response. Despite multiples advances in knowledge of the physiopathology of this disease, to date there is no pharmacological treatment with enough clinical evidence to be called a standard treatment. Glucocorticosteroids are one of the treatments used for SJS and TEN with different results among the published literature.This paper pretends to describe our experience with high dose of glucocorticosteroids for the treatment of SJS and TEN.
Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all medical charts of patients with diagnosis of SJS or TEN hospitalized in our clinic, between January 1 of 2006 and May 31 of 2010. Clinical information, epidemiological data and laboratory tests were analyzed. Patients younger than 18 years or with more than 10 days of evolution previous to the admission were excluded.
Results: Seven patients were included, with an average age of 44 years (27 – 57 years), five were woman, six cases had diagnoses of SJS and one of TEN. 5 patients had a generalized skin disease and 1 patient had only mucous membranes involvement. Corticosteroids were initiated in average 4,4 days after the onset of symptoms, with an average in the duration of treatment of 3,7 days (3 to 5 days), and an average of 10,2 days of hospitalization (4 to 19 days). Side effects were mild hypokalemia in 6 of the 7 patients, 1 patient presented bradycardia and hyperglycemia at the third day of treatment with methylprednisolone. Two patients had sepsis without isolation of any microorganism; one of the patients with sepsis required a longer hospitalization.
Conclusion: In our series, the use of high dose of corticosteroids was associated with a prompt clearance of lesions; mild hypokalemia was the most frequent side effect.
Author Biographies
Juan Carlos Díaz
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia
Diego Bonilla
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia
Ana Francisca Ramírez
Servicio de Dermatología, Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia
Melba Cristina Herrera
Servicio de Dermatología, Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia
Luis Fernando Ramírez
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia
Carlos Daniel Serrano
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia
Unidad de Alergia, Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia
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