Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), also known as Erythema Multiforme, Leyll’s Syndrome, and in its later stages, Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), is a serious and potentially life-threatening disease that causes large areas of the skin to become detached and lesions to develop in the mucous membranes.

What Causes Stevens Johnson Syndrome?

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is typically caused by a severe allergic reaction to a medication. SJS symptoms usually begin with a skin rash that can lead to blistering, severe peeling and open sores. Often an SJS rash is not diagnosed in time, and the condition becomes life-threatening.

SJS can be caused by almost any medication, including antibiotics, anticonvulsants, sedatives and painkillers. The leading causes of this disease are the following medications:

• Common Pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve)
• Medications to treat seizures or mental illness (anticonvulsants and antipsychotics) such as Dilantin
• Anti-gout medications, such as allopurinol
• Medications to fight infection, such as penicillin
• Radiation therapy

A number of SJS lawsuits accuse these drug makers of failing to disclose the risk of getting Stevens Johnson Syndrome and/or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis from taking these drugs.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome Symptoms

Stevens Johnson Syndrome symptoms can begin with a fever, sore throat and headache and over a few days (or sometimes even minutes) can turn into skin lesions and blisters and respiratory infection. SJS generally affects the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat and swelling of the eyelids, and can progress to blindness and internal organ damage.

SJS symptoms include:

• Flu-like symptoms, such as fever, sore throat, cough, burning eyes
• Facial swelling
• Tongue swelling
• Hives
• Skin pain
• A red or purple skin rash that spreads within hours to days
• Blisters on your skin and the mucous membranes of your mouth, nose, eyes and genitals
• Skin shedding or sloughing

Patients most likely to develop Stevens Johnson Syndrome are extremely allergic to antibiotics or painkillers like Ibuprofen. Most cases occur in adults between the ages of 20-40 years, but SJS has been diagnosed in children as young as three-months old. Anyone who takes prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs runs the risk of developing allergic reactions and developing serious health problems like Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Allergic drug reactions cause more than 100,000 deaths among patients in the United States each year, and adverse drug reactions are the leading causes of death in the U.S. Every day, more than 4,000 patients—approximately 1.5 million per year—are admitted to hospitals with serious adverse drug reactions. Many of these admissions can be prevented.

SJS Lawsuits Say Drug Makers Hid Risks

Pharmaceutical manufacturers are aware of the risks associated with their drugs, yet proper warnings are for the most part inadequate on drug labels. Many over-the-counter (OTC) drugs such as Ibuprofen—found in Advil and Motrin—have been linked to Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Without adequate warnings, patients who develop Stevens Johnson Syndrome may continue to take the SJS-causing drug, which could lead to TEN. If a drug has a black-box warning, SJS attorneys may consider a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Several high-profile SJS lawsuits have resulted in multi-million dollar jury awards to patients who developed drug-induced Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Oftentimes these SJS lawsuits are filed by the victim’s family due to the young age of the patient or their unfortunate death from SJS complications.