Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis in Patients Admitted to Sina Hospital in Hamadan, Iran: A 16-year study

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are severe and potentially life-threatening reactions. In spite of the low prevalence of these conditions, they are of utmost significance due to their catastrophic complications and mortality. The SJS and TEN are mostly caused by a reaction to a drug; however, in some cases, they result from infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiologic, etiologic, and clinical characteristics of the patients admitted to Sina Hospital in Hamadan, Iran, due to SJS and TEN during a 16-year period. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on the patients with SJS and TEN admitted to Sina Hospital during the last 16 years (i.e., 2002-2018). The data analyzed in the present study included age, gender, causative drug, length of hospital stay, received treatment, and complications. A total of 47 patients, consisting of 21 males and 26 females, were investigated in this study. Out of the 47 patients, 34, 9, and 4 cases were diagnosed with SJS, TEN, and SJS/TEN overlap, respectively. Regarding the etiology of these conditions, 45 cases (95.7%) were drug-related, while the remaining 2 cases were caused by reasons other than drugs. The most common causative drugs were antimicrobials (36.1%), followed by antiepileptics (27.6%) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (17 %). Furthermore, there one case caused by reaction to allopurinol, and another case resulted from reactions to rabies vaccine. The remaining cases were either non-drug related or multi-drug related. The most common complications were infections (21.2%), followed by ocular problems (19.1%) and gastrointestinal bleeding (2.1%). As the findings indicated, antimicrobials were the most common causative drugs of SJS and TEN. The physicians should be aware of the clinical manifestations of SJS and TEN with regard to the severe complications of these conditions, including ocular damages, and their risk of mortality. Moreover, it is required to enhance public awareness regarding the avoidance of self-medication with antimicrobial drugs.