What is Stevens Johnson Syndrome?
Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is an inflammatory disease that affects the skin and mucous membranes. Often very painful, SJS causes blisters and lesions to form on the skin, sometimes leading to extreme peeling and sloughing off of skin layers. Stevens Johnson Syndrome causes inflammation of the eyes and conjunctivitis, causing blindness in severe cases. Although there is disagreement over the exact cause of the disorder, the majority of researchers believe that Stevens Johnson Syndrome is most commonly caused by adverse allergic reactions to medications and drugs. The drugs that have been linked to this painful and deadly disease include ibuprofen, sulfonamides, tetracyclines, amoxicillin, Children’s Motrin and, most recently added to the list, Bextra. However, it is important to remember that any drug can cause Stevens Johnson Syndrome. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued consumer warnings to notify the public of the risk of developing Stevens Johnson Syndrome from the
