Even a common antibiotic like Cipro can cause severe and possibly life-threatening side effects. Patients and their families may not be fully aware of the risks associated with Cipro until after a condition like Stevens Johnson syndrome has set in.

Cipro Basics

Cipro is a brand name used for the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Physicians can prescribe Cipro to treat a broad variety of bacterial infections. It has received specific FDA approval as a treatment for a few different types of urinary tract infections.

Cipro is one of a class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. As a group, fluoroquinolones are a known cause of Stevens Johnson syndrome, a condition that attacks the skin and mucous membranes and sometimes puts the patient’s life at risk.

What to Expect From Stevens Johnson Syndrome

In most cases, Stevens Johnson syndrome is triggered by an allergic reaction to some medication. The list of medications that have been linked to this condition is long and Cipro is just one of them.

Once Cipro has been determined to be the cause of a particular case of Stevens Johnson syndrome, it needs to be discontinued immediately and the patient must avoid taking Cipro ever again.

The allergic reaction leads to an inflammatory disorder within the skin that causes rash, blisters and peeling. When the skin begins to peel, it takes the whole outer layer with it, exposing the much more sensitive lower layer.

This loss of skin exposes the patient to infection. The infection may only affect tissue at the exposed site.

But in more involved cases, the patient may develop cellulitis, a secondary skin infection that can lead to life-threatening sepsis. Patients with sepsis are at acute risk for organ failure and shock. When Stevens Johnson syndrome leads to death, infection is the most common cause.

In cases where a large area of skin is affected this way, the condition may then be referred to as toxic epidermal necrolysis. That condition and Stevens Johnson syndrome are now considered to be different degrees of the same allergic reaction.

While both conditions are deadly, toxic epidermal necrolysis has a significantly higher incidence of death.

Generally, Stevens Johnson syndrome refers to a condition in which less than 10 percent of the skin has peeled away. If more than 30 percent is affected, it’s called toxic epidermal necrolysis. Anything in between is considered an overlap between the two conditions.

Other complications can arise besides the effects on the skin. Eye problems are a frequent complication: lesions on the mucous membranes inside the eyelid can lead to conjunctivitis, and scarring of the cornea may leave the patient blind.

The mucous membranes throughout the digestive tract can also be affected. Sores in the mouth or throat can make eating or speaking painful, and lesions in the lower gastrointestinal tract can lead to diarrhea.

If the respiratory tract is affected, the patient could suffer cough, difficulty breathing or pneumonia.

Fortunately, Stevens Johnson syndrome doesn’t happen often and cases are actually extremely rare. But in those rare cases when it does occur as a result from taking Cipro, it can be a surprise that patients and families may feel they weren’t adequately led to expect.