Patients taking common antibiotics like Avelox may be caught off guard by the risk of developing Steven Johnson disease, a potentially deadly adverse drug reaction.

What Is Avelox?

Avelox is one of a group of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones. It’s FDA-approved to be used as a treatment for bacterial infections of the skin and respiratory tract, and for plague and complicated intra-abdominal infections.

As with other fluoroquinolone antibiotics, some after-market reports say that cases of Steven Johnson disease and toxic epidermal necrolysis have occurred following treatment with Avelox. Even though the FDA-approved labeling for Avelox mentions these reports, it’s still possible for SJS or TEN to take patients completely by surprise.

What to Expect From SJS or TEN

Steven Johnson disease and TEN are known for their symptoms that attack the skin and mucous membranes. The trademark symptoms start with a rash that breaks out over the face, neck and torso, and soon spreads across the rest of the body.

As the condition progresses, blisters form inside these areas of rash. The blisters may grow and peel away from the lower layer of skin.

The amount of skin affected in this way makes the difference between SJS and TEN. Where skin peels away from less than 10 percent of the body, the condition is referred to as SJS; if more than 30 percent is affected, it’s called TEN. Anything in between is considered overlap.

Similar symptoms can also attack the mucous membranes, the soft tissue that lines the inside of the eyes, genitals, and digestive tract. The eyes may develop conjunctivitis, with purulence so severe it can seal the eye shut. The corneas may also be scarred, putting the patient at risk for permanent blindness.

Sores inside the mouth or throat may make eating or speaking extremely painful. Similar lesions inside the respiratory or digestive tract can cause diarrhea, coughing, or difficulty breathing. In some cases, the patient’s hair and nails fall out.

The loss of skin can lead to some dangerous complications. Patients are at considerable risk for infection: skin infections can happen, and systemic infections that threaten organ failure and shock sometimes occur. The loss of skin also causes substantial dehydration and malnutrition.

SJS and TEN are now considered to be different manifestations of the same condition, with TEN being the more severe and more deadly version. Mortality rates vary, but generally speaking TEN is about three to five times more likely to result in death than SJS.

Both Steven Johnson disease and TEN are fortunately very rare. But when they do occur, more often than not they originate as an adverse drug reaction. Avelox is just one of many different kinds of drugs that can be associated with these conditions.

Patients who think they may have had SJS or TEN as an adverse drug reaction to Avelox may benefit from a consultation with an attorney familiar with Steven Johnson disease claims, who can apprise them of all the rights and legal options available to them based on the specific facts of their case.