Recommendations for Prevention of Drug Re-Exposure in Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis

Recommendations for Prevention of Drug Re-Exposure in Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis J Drugs Dermatol. 2019 Oct 01;18(10):1049-1052 Authors: O’Brien KF, Saardi KM, Johnson LS, Shupp JW, Rodic N, Pasieka HB Abstract Drug re-exposure resulting in Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) or toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare phenomenon and has scarcely been reported. With an aging population, polypharmacy, and a lack of a unified electronic medical record, standard recommendations to prevent or minimize the risk of re-exposure are necessary. We identified five patients, with diagnosis confirmed SJS/TEN, and determined the clinical characteristics and contributing risk factors leading to re-exposure. Polypharmacy, multiple prescribers, advanced age, medical illiteracy, retention of discontinued medications and self-prescribing all contributed to re-exposure in this cohort of patients. This case series demonstrates the potentially deadly effect of drug re-exposure, and the need for both streamlined and integrated medication allergy documentation systems. J Drugs Dermatol. 2019;18(10):1049-1052. PMID: 31603634 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Journal of Drugs in Dermatology - Category: Dermatology Tags: J Drugs Dermatol Source Type: research