Aloprim Steven Johnson Syndrome is a dermatological emergency seen in some patients who take the popular drug for gout.

While rare, Steven Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are excruciating, painful allergic skin conditions that result in the skin reacting as if chemically burned from the inside out.

JAMA Internal Medicine

A study published in the July 2015 issue of the JAMA Internal Medicine magazine followed more than 1.6 million patients who were prescribed either Aloprim or Zyloprim, which both contain allopurinol.

Between January 2005 and December 2011, four in 10,000 patients died as a result of side effects linked to Aloprim or Zyloprim.

Aloprim Steven Johnson Syndrome or TEN happened most often within the first three months of use. Two in 1,000 patients were hospitalized for hypersensitivity reactions in the first month of use.

Those at highest risk of Aloprim Steven Johnson Syndrome were women age 60 or older who were taking more than 100 mg per day and had renal or cardiovascular problems as well.

What are Steven Johnson Syndrome and TEN?

Aloprim Steven Johnson Syndrome is a rare condition that is often misdiagnosed as the flu. It is actually a severe allergic reaction to Aloprim that begins with a fever and rash, but progresses to blistering, painful skin peeling, and open sores. It can be fatal in 5% to 15% of cases.

When the rash covers more than 30 percent of a patient’s body, then Aloprim Steven Johnson Syndrome has become Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). These victims can lose large sheets of skin that come off of the body in addition to painful sores in the mouth, eyes and vagina.

These mucous membranes react the same way the skin does, by filling up with fluid generated by the immune system in a severe allergic reaction to the medication. TEN can also result in blindness when the eyes swell, become crusty and ulcerate.

When large areas of raw skin are exposed, the chances of the patient developing infection, sepsis (blood infection) and death increase. Most TEN patients are treated in hospital burn units, and 30 to 40% of these patients die. Those who do survive can be left with severe scarring, organ failure or blindness.

Oftentimes, Aloprim Steven Johnson Syndrome and TEN patients are placed in a drug-induced coma, the only way to offer relief from the intense pain.

Only 300 new cases of Stevens Johnson Syndrome are diagnosed each year in the United States, but the pain and suffering should not be something anyone should have to endure.

Recovery can take weeks or months, depending upon how severe the reaction becomes. Patients can rapidly accumulate thousands of dollars in medical bills.

Because Steven Johnson Syndrome and TEN are so rare, most plaintiffs who have taken medications such as Aloprim were not even aware that such horrible reactions were possible.

A class action lawsuit might be a viable way to receive compensation for pain and suffering, hospitalizations and other monetary losses incurred as a result.