Stevens Johnson Syndrome is an extremely damaging skin condition that can require long-term hospitalization and can threaten the patient’s life. There is a long list of different Stevens Johnson Syndrome causes that include some widely-used medications like Dilantin.

SJS typically starts with symptoms like fever, cough and body aches – symptoms easily mistaken for the flu. But a few days later, the trademark SJS skin symptoms start. The patient usually gets a rash that spreads and forms blisters. These blisters can grow and combine to form large areas of skin that peel away.

Similar symptoms can affect the patient’s mucous membranes, the soft tissue that lines the inside of the digestive tract, genitals and eyes. Eye symptoms can develop into inflammation and scarring that can ultimately leave the patient blind. The patient’s hair and nails may also fall out.

The patient is also at risk for many different secondary conditions that can occur as SJS complications. Widespread exposure of the deeper layers of skin can expose the patient to infection, putting them at risk for sepsis and organ failure. The skin may grow back later but may show permanent bumps, scars or discoloration.

Treatment of SJS requires hospitalization. Sometimes patients are treated in a burn unit if one is available, due to the similarity between SJS and severe burns. Providers manage symptoms by keeping the affected areas of skin dressed and by replacing fluids and electrolytes.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome Causes

There are many answers to the question “How do you get Stevens Johnson syndrome?” Sometimes SJS results from some type of infection – anything from pneumonia, herpes, hepatitis, or HIV can lead to SJS. Radiation therapy is also a known cause.

The most common Stevens Johnson Syndrome causes are medications. Over 100 different drugs may lead to SJS. It can also be allegedly triggered by common, over-the-counter pain killers like Tylenol or Advil. Antibiotics and anti-gout medications may also cause SJS.

Among the types of medication most frequently associated with cases of SJS are drugs like Dilantin that are used to treat seizures. Dilantin, also known by its generic name phenytoin, has been called the “grandfather of all epilepsy medications.” It was originally developed in the early 20th century as a preventative for the convulsions that happened with electroshock treatment.

Today, although newer generations of anti-convulsant drugs have supplanted Dilantin as a first-line therapy, it’s still one of the most frequently used drugs in the world. The FDA has approved Dilantin for treatment of tonic-clonic and psychomotor seizures and for prevention of seizures during or following neurosurgery.

Yet as the label for Dilantin states, cases of SJS and its related condition toxic epidermal necrolysis have been reported in conjunction with Dilantin treatment. Toxic epidermal necrolysis, or TEN, is now considered a more severe variant of SJS. It affects a greater area of the victim’s skin, and it more frequently results in death.

It’s easy to understand how damaging these conditions can be, in terms of both physical and economic harm. Aside from the damage to the victim’s body, SJS can put a person in the hospital for weeks, racking up medical bills while at the same time preventing them from earning income.