In a recent edition of the Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore Journal, a Letter to the Editor was published, which summarized how Quinolone Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) victims  may be able to seek immunoglobulin treatment to help abate the symptoms of this painful, and often deadly, allergic skin reaction.

The letter was penned by Drs. Wan Lin Teo and Shiu Ming Pang of Singapore General Hospital, who point out that this new treatment could mean an increased number of lives saved from SJS and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). TEN, also known as skin death, is the diagnoses a patient receives when their SJS condition spreads past 30 percent of their body, and once someone is develops TEN, they have a 35 percent of dying from SJS/TEN.

A number of quinolone SJS lawsuits accuse drug manufacturers of failing to warn about the risks of developing SJS or TEN from their medications.

While there is no actual cure for SJS and TEN, an intravenous immunoglobulin regiment may prove to be an effective and lifesaving treatment for Quinolone SJS and Quinolone TEN victims.

One documented case presented in Drs. Teo and Pang’s letter talks about a 76-year-old women from India who allegedly developed TEN after taking Levofloxacin (an antibiotic in the quinolone family that’s also sold under the brand name Levaquin) to treat her pneumonia, which she developed after a colon cancer open anterior resection.

About 11 days after starting the Levoflaxin antibiotic, the patient reported finding a skin rash, which allegedly developed into full-blown SJS blisters four days later. Some other SJS symptoms the patient allegedly experienced included fever, oral ulcers, genital ulcers, and conjunctive infection. When the patient was finally hospitalized, it was reported that over 40 percent of her body surface was affected by SJS/TEN and she had about a 60-percent chance of dying from the skin reaction.

The woman was then put on an intravenous immunoglobulin treatment for three days, which may very well have saved her life. Prior to this Levofloxacin SJS reaction, the patient was not aware that she was allergic to any medication, let alone that she would contract SJS and TEN from taking Levofloxacin (Levaquin).

What is Stevens Johnson Syndrome?

Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are painful and sometimes fatal skin conditions that develop as an allergic reaction to a whole host of prescription and over-the-counter medications. However, Quinolone antibiotics like Cipro, Levaquin, and Avelox have been found to have a high number of serious SJS and/or TEN cases.

When a patient develops SJS or TEN after taking a medication, the individual’s topmost skin cells die leaving the deeper layers exposed and unprotected. The sensitive mucous membrane also becomes exposed and may be prone to infection and blistering.

Due to the sensitive dermis’ exposure to the elements and the subsequent pain experienced by SJS victims, they need to be hospitalized for weeks to months at a time for monitoring and treatment. In some extreme cases, a SJS patient may die.

Some SJS symptoms may include:

• Painful blistering of the skin and mucous membranes
• Flu-like symptoms and high fever
• Skin shedding or “sloughing”
• Ocular effects, including severe conjunctivis, iritis, palpebral edema, conjunctival and corneal blisters and erosions, and corneal perforation

As a result of the pain and suffering experienced by quinolone SJS victims, many quinolone users or their family members have filed quinolone SJS lawsuits seeking compensation and damages for the medical bills and pain and suffering.