Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are potentially life-threatening illnesses that have often been linked to drug exposure.
Methods: We looked retrospectively for all cases of SJS and TEN that were admitted to Siriraj Hospital between 1981 and 1990 to determine the drug etiology.
Results: Fifty-eight cases of SJS and 20 cases of TEN were identified. Eight patients initially had an SJS-like aspect, which subsequently evolved into TEN. A culpable drug was determined in 60 patients (77%). The mean time from first drug administration to onset of SJS or TEN was 6.8 +/- 6.5 days (range, 1 to 28 days). A longer incubation period was observed with thiacetazone (10.5 +/- 5.6 days), phenytoin (12 +/- 8.5 days), and carbamazepine (11.3 +/- 3.4 days).
Conclusions: The culprit drugs included the following: antibiotics, 32 cases (penicillin, sulfonamides, tetracycline, erythromycin); anticonvulsants, nine (phenytoin, carbamazepine, barbiturates); antitubercular drugs, eight (thiacetazone); analgesics, four (acetylsalicylic acid, fenbufen); sulfonylurea, two; allopurinol, one; and others, four. The most frequent underlying diseases justifying the ingestion of one or more drugs in our patients were infections (52.7%), followed by pulmonary tuberculosis (10.8%), and by seizures (8.1%). The total mortality rate was 14%; 5% for SJS, and 40% for TEN. Mortality was not affected by the type of drug responsible.