Pharmacologic hypersensitivities commonly express cutaneous manifestations, and the highest mortality is found in Stevens Johnson’s syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, mostly associated with antibiotics and anticonvulsive drugs. Toxic epidermal necrolysis is related in 80% of cases to pharmacologic hypersensitivity and systemic consequences may be found; hepatic injury has been described, ...

A patient with severe toxic epidermal necrolysis underwent 2 cycles of therapeutic plasma exchange and received specialized wound care for widespread skin damage of more than 80% of his body surface area. Extensive involvement of mucous membranes, including the conjunctivas and the oropharyngeal cavity, and damage of his genitourinary organs required meticulous wound care. Daily care of injurie...

Ciprofloxacin is one of the most commonly used antibacterial agents with relatively few side effects. Serious adverse reactions reported with ciprofloxacin are rare with an incidence of 0.6%. Recently we came across two rare adverse effects of ciprofloxacin, viz. toxic epidermal necrolysis and agranulocytosis. To our knowledge, a total of seven cases have been reported in the literature documen...

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is severe cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction characterized by necrosis of the epidermis and detachment of the epidermis and dermis that usually occurs as an idiosyncratic reaction to certain drugs. We report the case of a patient admitted to our Intensive Care Unit after an above-the-knee amputation who developed toxic epidermal necrolysis, possibly resulting f...

Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis are life-threatening conditions associated with significant morbidity and mortality. They are considered to be part of a spectrum of cutaneous drug reactions, differing only by their extent of skin detachment due to keratinocyte apoptosis. Drugs are assumed as the main cause of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in mos...

1 Fritsch PO, Elias PM. Toxic epidermal necrolysis. In: Fitzpatrick TB, Eisen A, Wolff K, Freedberg IM, Austen FK, eds. Dermatology in general medicine. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1979;303-6. 2 Plaut ME, Mirani M. Toxic epidermal necrolysis due to E coli. JAMA 1972;219: 1629-32. 3 Connor WT. Fulminant streptococcus pyogenes infection. Br Med J 1981;282: 651. 4 Ortbals DW, Glew RH, Santa Cruz DJ. An...

Drugs are an important cause of Stevens–Johnson syndrome(SJS) in about 95% of reports. 100 drugs have been reported as causes of SJS or toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). There are very few reports of SJS due to use of diclofenac. In this report we present a 65 year old lady who developed SJS after usage of diclofenac suppository.

A case is described of a 59-year-old woman, who after oral intake of cefaclor presented with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). Toxic epidermal necrolysis is characterized by widespread erythematous and bullous lesions on the skin caused by keratinocyte necrosis leading to exfoliation of epidermis, formation of erosions on mucous membranes and reactions from other organs. In the case of TEN diag...

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN, Lyell's disease) are severe, episodic, acute mucocutaneous reaction that may be caused by various factors particularly drugs. Treatment is primarily supportive care and there are no specific therapy regimens. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has recently been shown to be a useful and safe therapy in paediatric patients with SJ...

Diagnostic criteria for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis should be reviewed early in critically ill patients with toxic epidermal necrolysis, multisystem dysfunction, and a deteriorating clinical trajectory.