California woman Melissa Sawyer recently died in Sacramento after suffering from the serious skin reaction Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Sawyer’s obituary does not list the details of her battle with SJS, which is often caused by a reaction to medication. It does state that she is survived by her daughter and her parents. Sawyer was originally born in Sweden and was 44 years old when she died. She died at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. The obituary offers no information on the medication that may have triggered her Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome or SJS is an autoimmune reaction. Autoimmune reactions are situations where the immune system goes haywire. In a healthy individual, the immune system attacks invading viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. However, in an autoimmune reaction, the immune system uses the same tools to attack the patients own body.

When patients have SJS, the immune system attacks the skin. This causes a painful rash which escalates to blisters, sores, and then ulcers. In the more serious cases, the reaction can spread to the surface of internal organs, as well as to the eyes. Some cases escalate to a more serious form of the disorder called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, or TEN. In TEN, patches of the patient’s skin die and slough off, leaving burn-like wounds.

Many questions remain about SJS and TEN. The disorder is relatively rare, but still affects thousands worldwide. One of the big questions about SJS has do with how it is triggered.

Almost universally, the disorder is triggered by various medications. However, the list of drugs that can potentially trigger SJS is long and includes antibiotics such as Zithromax, seizure drugs, antidepressants, and even over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol.

A patient may take a drug repeatedly before developing SJS or TEN, or may develop the reaction the first time they use a drug.

Class action lawsuits have been filed by SJS survivors and their family members. These SJS lawsuits allege that drug makers may have not done enough to protect the public from the risk of developing SJS and TEN. These lawsuits typically seek costs like medical expenses, lost wages, and—in some cases—funeral expenses.