By Lesley Ranft

“The seriousness of the injuries and the fact that the types of drugs that can cause Stevens Johnson Syndrome are in frequent use signify the need for all consumers to take a closer look at the labels for side effect warnings in both over-the-counter and prescription drugs that they are taking. ” as Frank Woodson, Shareholder in the law firm of Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles of Montgomery, AL explains. Once thought to be an allergic reaction by some, has evolved into a lifelong nightmare for people suffering from severe drug induced Steven’s Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

SJS Symptoms

SJS is toxic, life threatening and may damage the immune system, organs, and neurological function. The underlying skin disorder is so dramatic for people with severe SJS that they may appear to have fourth degree burns, resulting from epidermal rash blisters which may encompass the body. According to legal case reports, the side effects of SJS are, as follows:

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, sore throat, cough, and chills
• Blisters or lesions on the body
• Inability to eat, drink or void
• Burns to the skin and organs such as the esophagus and corneas of the eyes
• Eye conditions such as anterior uveitis, keratitis and panophthalmitis
• Blindness
• Hypotension
• Tachycardia
• Respiratory failure
• Urinary tract impairment or failure
• Gastrointestinal dysfunction or failure
• Kidney impairment or failure
• Vaginal stenosis and penile scarring
• Skin sloughing and necrosis (death) from 10% to 80% of the body
• Seizures
• Coma
• Death

Candidates for SJS

SJS predominantly affects Caucasians, with ratios of two men to one female. Most people contract SJS between their 20’s and 40’s, but children as young as 3 months old have contracted SJS. SJS is commonly misdiagnosed at the onset. SJS is considered idiopathic in 25-50% of all cases. The condition affects people in varying degrees of severity. The risk of death is associated with the extent of skin necrosis (skin death). The mortality rate is 1-5% when necrosis is less than 10%, up to 35% when necrosis is 30% and so on.-1-

SJS Causes: Virus, Disease, Infection and Malignancy

The root associations of SJS may be viral diseases, infections and malignancies including: carcinomas, lymphomas, herpes simplex virus (HSV), AIDS, coxsackie viral infections, influenza, hepatitis, mumps, mycoplasmal infection, lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), rickettsial infections, and variola. Bacterial associations include: group A beta streptococci, diphtheria, Brucellosis, mycobacteria, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, tularemia, and typhoid. Fungal viruses include: Coccidioidomycosis, dermatophytosis, and histoplasmosis. Malaria and trichomoniasis are also reported causes. Epstein-Barr virus and enteroviruses have been identified as well.

SJS Drug Induced Causes

The medication list of causes that is identified include: Sulfa drugs, Phenytoin, Ciprofloxacin, and Penicillin may trigger SJS. Anticonvulsant drugs such as oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproic acid, and lamotrigine are in the linked category. Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor drugs, Nevirapine, Indinavir, and Modafinil (Provigil) have been identified too. Attorneys have reported an association between SJS and Allopropenol, EFFEXORA, Lemectal, Ibuprofen, Motrin and barbiturates.MRI diagnostic testing equipment using Gado Dye caused an unexpected outbreak of SJS recently.

Check Your Drug Labels

Not all drug labels provide current up-to-date warnings about medical condition risks. For example, Motrin bottles provided a warning label about the risk of Steven’s Johnson Syndrome when it was a prescription drug. However, today’s over-the-counter version of Motrin does not provide a warning for the risk of Steven Johnson’s Syndrome. In addition, it may require a significant amount of time between a reported link between SJS and a drug and the time that the information appears on a drug label. Furthermore, there may be additional time before a drug is recalled for risks of SJS because the foundation of a recall may be based on a high number of reports and the average individual may not know to report the drug or realize the correlation between the drug and the disease.

By the same token, checking your prescription and over-the-counter medications for warnings is important. High incidence ratings may be bumped up on the scale of the label. Severe adverse events and high rates of incidence should appear in the warning or precaution section of label.

Check with Your Doctor

Some people with SJS may only experience fever, sore throat, vomiting and/or diarrhea. In fact, rashes and lesions may never appear. Some doctors may not be familiar with SJS. If you experience any SJS related symptom, contact your doctor and request to stop taking the drugs you are taking. If you suspect SJS, maintain hydration. The diagnosis of Steven’s Johnson Syndrome is conducted through a skin biopsy. The treatment for SJS may consist of medications and treatment for the impairment(s) that you are suffering from.

Check with a Lawyer

A select number of product liability lawyers are accepting SJS legal cases to submit lawsuits against the makers of the drugs who have failed to adequately warn the public about the risk of SJS. It is the culmination of patient reports acquired by lawyers, victims themselves and other interested parties that substantiates the need for public policy makers to take greater action to prevent the public from further harm. Your experience with SJS is important. Check in with a lawyer today.

-1- http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/756523-overview