A Michigan family is mourning the loss of their 24-year-old daughter. Cassandra Campbell’s family thought she was suffering from the flu but sadly her diagnosis turned out to be a worse case scenario.

The young mother just had a baby only three weeks old and was taking antibiotics for what she thought was a bug bite. After developing a rash and flu-like symptoms, Campbell went to the emergency room on July 13 as her symptoms worsened and she was diagnosed with a rare condition called Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Unfortunately, treatment was too late and she died.

Even though the disease has been documented in literature for years, they are unsure what singular ingredient in the medications is causing it. The tissue in Campbell’s body was breaking down. In her final hours, doctors performed CPR on her three separate times.

What is Stevens Johnson Syndrome?

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is a life-threatening disease that is typically caused by a severe allergic reaction to a medication. SJS symptoms usually begin with a skin rash that can lead to blistering, severe peeling and open sores.

SJS can be caused by almost any medication, including antibiotics, anticonvulsants, sedatives and painkillers. The leading causes of this disease are the following medications:

• Common pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve)
• Medications to treat seizures or mental illness (anticonvulsants and antipsychotics) such as Dilantin
• Anti-gout medications, such as allopurinol
• Medications to fight infection, such as penicillin
• Radiation therapy

Stevens Johnson Syndrome Symptoms

Stevens Johnson Syndrome symptoms can begin with a fever, sore throat and headache and over a few days (or sometimes even minutes) can turn into skin lesions and blisters and respiratory infection. SJS generally affects the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat and swelling of the eyelids, and can progress to blindness and internal organ damage.

SJS symptoms include:

• Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, sore throat, cough, burning eyes
• Facial swelling
• Tongue swelling
• Hives
• Skin pain
• A red or purple skin rash that spreads within hours to days
• Blisters on your skin and the mucous membranes of your mouth, nose, eyes and genitals
• Skin shedding or sloughing

Patients most likely to develop Stevens Johnson Syndrome are extremely allergic to antibiotics or painkillers like Ibuprofen. Most cases occur in adults between the ages of 20 and 40 years, but SJS has been diagnosed in children as young as three months old.  Anyone who takes prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs runs the risk of developing allergic reactions and developing serious health problems like Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Allergic drug reactions cause more than 100,000 deaths among patients in the United States each year, and adverse drug reactions are the leading causes of death in the United States. Every day, more than 4,000 patients — approximately 1.5 million per year — are admitted to hospitals with serious adverse drug reactions. Many of these admissions can be prevented.

SJS Lawsuits

Several high-profile SJS lawsuits have resulted in multi-million dollar jury awards to patients who developed drug-induced Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Some SJS lawsuits are filed by the victim’s family due to the young age of the patient.