Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Symptoms

Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a rare but severe reaction to medication that can affect anyone, but it tends to happen most often in children. Almost any medication, including prescription and common over-the-counter drugs, can cause Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which is essentially a severe allergic reaction or hypersensitivity to a medication. In the event of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, emergency medical treatment is necessary, and most people will require hospitalization. Treatment generally centers around eliminating the medicine that caused the reaction, controlling and treating the symptoms and then trying to avoid complications.

Initial Symptoms

• Some of the earliest signs of Stevens-Johnson syndrome are similar to flu or cold symptoms and include a cough, a sore throat, fever and burning eyes. These symptoms can appear a few days before other symptoms manifest.

Swelling

• Swelling of the face and tongue are one of the symptoms that an adverse drug reaction is causing Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

Rash

• A reddish or purplish rash that spreads across most of the body is a symptom of Stevens-Johnson syndrome. The rash can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to spread.

Pain

• Because of how the body is responding to the medicine and the changes it causes to a person's skin, someone with Stevens-Johnson syndrome might experience severe skin pain all over the body.

Other Skin Conditions

• Some people with Stevens-Johnson syndrome will develop hives or skin blisters as a result of the drug reaction. As it progresses, the skin will begin to shed as new, healthy skin replaces the damaged skin.

Oral Symptoms

• Another symptom of Stevens-Johnson syndrome is blisters or sores on the mucous membranes of the mouth, eyes and nose.