Dermatologic Emergencies in the Intensive Care Unit

Author(s):  
Matthew R. Hall

Rashes are relatively common in hospitalized patients, but only rarely are they life threatening. Emergent skin conditions in these patients are usually sequelae of medication reactions (drug eruptions) or complications from sepsis. Most drug eruptions are benign and resolve if the offending medication is discontinued. However, the drug hypersensitivity syndrome, Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are urgent conditions that require prompt diagnosis and management. Purpura fulminans can develop in patients with sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (Supp 1) ◽  
pp. 26-29
Author(s):  
Thomas Schiestel

Bullous drug eruptions such as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) are rare but known adverse reactions of fluoroquinolones. Although uncommon, TEN can be life-threatening for the patient, especially in the context of delayed treatment and in fragile patients such as the pediatric population. In the present case, TEN occurred in a 13-year-old girl with no medical history following initiation of ciprofloxacin treatment for an inguinal cyst. We hope that the case report will make interrogate the practices concerning the use of antibiotics, in particular fluoroquinolones in the context of an use not prescribed by the Marketing Authorization of the drug in children.


2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Nur Moya Isyroqiyyah ◽  
Gatot Soegiarto ◽  
Yuani Setiawati

Drug hypersensitivity is defined as an untoward response to medication which is noxious and unintended, and which occurs at doses normally used in human either for the prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy of disease or for the modification of physiological function. Drug hypersensitivity is common and may cause emergency condition until death. The incidence of drug hypersensitivity-related hospitalizations has usually been assessed within hospitals. The aim of this study is to determine the profile of drug hypersensitivity patients hospitalized at Dr. Soetomo Hospital in 6 months period from January to June 2016. This study was a descriptive retrospective study on medical records of drug hypersensitivity patients hospitalized in Dr. Soetomo Hospital in 6 months period. The patient’s demographic data, the type of hypersensitivity reaction, and the final outcome of the hospitalization were collected. Within the 6 months period, there were 16 drug hypersensitivity patients hospitalized in Dr. Soetomo Hospital. Most of them are female (56.25%), and aged between 46-55 years (25%). There were 4 patients (25%) with type I hypersensitivity: urticaria, angioedema and anaphylaxis; while type IV hypersensitivity occured in 12 patients (75%): Stevens-Johnson syndrome, Stevens-Johnson syndrome-Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis overlap, erythroderma, maculopapular drug eruptions, and DRESS. Most of the patients (87.5%) had favorable outcome after hospitalization. There were 16 patients with drug hypersensitivity reaction hospitalized in Dr. Soetomo Hospital, Surabaya in 6 months period. Most of them were female and had type IV hypersensitivity reactions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (5_suppl) ◽  
pp. 102-102
Author(s):  
Gabriel E. Molina ◽  
Zizi Yu ◽  
Ruth K. Foreman ◽  
Kerry Lynn Reynolds ◽  
Steven T. Chen

102 Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a rare, life-threatening mucocutaneous toxicity that can occur in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). ICI-induced SJS is scarcely reported in the literature and thus remains poorly understood, particularly regarding features that may distinguish it from classic SJS. Methods: To describe the timing, clinical manifestations, and treatment course of ICI-induced SJS, this multicenter, retrospective study identified seven patients with SJS in the setting of ICI use from January 2011 through May 2019. Results: All seven patients presented initially as benign, limited drug eruptions after a median of 4 ICI cycles (range, 1-7) and 63 days (range, 13-253 days) from ICI initiation. While none of the patients had prior drug allergies, all 7 were receiving new, recently initiated – i.e., within two months – medications at the time of rash onset. Cases demonstrated characteristic histologic findings of SJS, such as epidermal necrosis, and occasional unusual features, including interface dermatitis. All patients responded favorably and rapidly to systemic therapy, primarily intravenous corticosteroids, with near immediate symptomatic resolution and cessation of progressive skin blistering or detachment. Median length of stay was 11 days and no patients died from SJS. Conclusions: Our cohort defines an atypical SJS-like reaction secondary to ICI use, which is distinct from classic SJS in its delayed onset, mild initial presentation, and rare ocular involvement. The association with concomitant medication use suggests a potential mechanism whereby ICIs reduce patient immune tolerance to subsequent drug exposures. Reassuringly, this atypical SJS-like phenomenon exhibits a benign clinical course and favorable response to standard treatments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Nur Moya Isyroqiyyah ◽  
Gatot Soegiarto ◽  
Yuani Setiawati

Drug hypersensitivity is defined as an untoward response to medication which is noxious and unintended, and which occurs at doses normally used in human either for the prophylaxis, diagnosis, or therapy of disease or for the modification of physiological function. Drug hypersensitivity is common and may cause emergency condition until death. The incidence of drug hypersensitivity-related hospitalizations has usually been assessed within hospitals. The aim of this study is to determine the profile of drug hypersensitivity patients hospitalized at Dr. Soetomo Hospital in 6 months period from January to June 2016. This study was a descriptive retrospective study on medical records of drug hypersensitivity patients hospitalized in Dr. Soetomo Hospital in 6 months period. The patient’s demographic data, the type of hypersensitivity reaction, and the final outcome of the hospitalization were collected. Within the 6 months period, there were 16 drug hypersensitivity patients hospitalized in Dr. Soetomo Hospital. Most of them are female (56.25%), and aged between 46-55 years (25%). There were 4 patients (25%) with type I hypersensitivity: urticaria, angioedema and anaphylaxis; while type IV hypersensitivity occured in 12 patients (75%): Stevens-Johnson syndrome, Stevens-Johnson syndrome-Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis overlap, erythroderma, maculopapular drug eruptions, and DRESS. Most of the patients (87.5%) had favorable outcome after hospitalization. There were 16 patients with drug hypersensitivity reaction hospitalized in Dr. Soetomo Hospital, Surabaya in 6 months period. Most of them were female and had type IV hypersensitivity reactions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun-Shiuan Olivia Hsu ◽  
Kun-Lin Lu ◽  
Yun Fu ◽  
Chuang-Wei Wang ◽  
Chun-Wei Lu ◽  
...  

The immunomodulatory effects of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and co-signaling receptors have gained much attention, as they help balance immunogenic and immunotolerant responses that may be disrupted in autoimmune and infectious diseases. Drug hypersensitivity has a myriad of manifestations, which ranges from the mild maculopapular exanthema to the severe Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms/drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DRESS/DIHS). While studies have identified high-risk human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allotypes, the presence of the HLA allotype at risk is not sufficient to elicit drug hypersensitivity. Recent studies have suggested that insufficient regulation by Tregs may play a role in severe hypersensitivity reactions. Furthermore, immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-CTLA-4 or anti-PD-1, in cancer treatment also induce hypersensitivity reactions including SJS/TEN and DRESS/DIHS. Taken together, mechanisms involving both Tregs as well as coinhibitory and costimulatory receptors may be crucial in the pathogenesis of drug hypersensitivity. In this review, we summarize the currently implicated roles of co-signaling receptors and Tregs in delayed-type drug hypersensitivity in the hope of identifying potential pharmacologic targets.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107815522110625
Author(s):  
Austin Ambur ◽  
Lindsay Ambur ◽  
Leila Khan ◽  
Rajiv Nathoo

Introduction Temozolomide is an oral alkylating agent used as first line treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). It has also been used in the treatment of certain solid tumors such as metastatic melanoma. Commonly reported adverse effects include nausea and vomiting, constipation, headache, fatigue and myelosuppression. Cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions are rare and include an urticarial hypersensitivity reaction, alopecia, and Stevens–Johnson syndrome. To our knowledge, there are minimal reports of temozolomide-induced DRESS syndrome. Case Report We present a 54-year-old man with glioblastoma multiforme who presented with a fever, diarrhea and progressively worsening rash 6 weeks after starting temozolomide. Management & Outcome The patient was diagnosed recurrent DRESS syndrome and restarted on a gradual prednisone taper with resolution over the following weeks. Unfortunately, the patient was unable to be followed long-term due to relocation to a different state. Discussion To our knowledge, there are minimal reports of temozolomide-induced DRESS syndrome. The diagnosis can be life-threatening, which makes management of patients with GBM and no alternative treatment option challenging. The use of de-sensitization therapy to temozolomide has been proposed for the management of severe adverse cutaneous reactions.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwendolin S. Simper ◽  
Lareen S. Gräser ◽  
Alexander A. Celik ◽  
Joachim Kuhn ◽  
Heike Kunze-Schumacher ◽  
...  

Drug hypersensitivity reactions that resemble acute immune reactions are linked to certain human leucocyte antigen (HLA) alleles. Severe and life-threatening Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis following treatment with the antiepileptic and psychotropic drug Carbamazepine are associated with HLA-B*15:02; whereas carriers of HLA-A*31:01 develop milder symptoms. It is not understood how these immunogenic differences emerge genotype-specific. For HLA-B*15:02 an altered peptide presentation has been described following exposure to the main metabolite of carbamazepine that is binding to certain amino acids in the F pocket of the HLA molecule. The difference in the molecular mechanism of these diseases has not been comprehensively analyzed, yet; and is addressed in this study. Soluble HLA-technology was utilized to examine peptide presentation of HLA-A*31:01 in presence and absence of carbamazepine and its main metabolite and to examine the mode of peptide loading. Proteome analysis of drug-treated and untreated cells was performed. Alterations in sA*31:01-presented peptides after treatment with carbamazepine revealed different half-life times of peptide-HLA- or peptide-drug-HLA complexes. Together with observed changes in the proteome elicited through carbamazepine or its metabolite these results illustrate the mechanistic differences in carbamazepine hypersensitivity for HLA-A*31:01 or B*15:02 patients and constitute the bridge between pharmacology and pharmacogenetics for personalized therapeutics.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Tsu Cho ◽  
Chia-Yu Chu

Severe cutaneous adverse reaction (SCAR) is life-threatening. It consists of Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN), drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP), and generalized bullous fixed drug eruptions (GBFDE). In the past years, emerging studies have provided better understandings regarding the pathogenesis of these diseases. These diseases have unique presentations and distinct pathomechanisms. Therefore, theoretically, the options of treatments might be different among various SCARs. However, due to the rarity of these diseases, sufficient evidence is still lacking to support the best choice of treatment for patients with SCAR. Herein, we will provide a concise review with an emphasis on the characteristics and treatments of each SCAR. It may serve as a guidance based on the current best of knowledge and may shed light on the directions for further investigations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Sue-Mian Then ◽  
Azman Ali Raymond

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder affecting approximately 50 million people worldwide. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are commonly used to treat the disease depending, mainly on the type of seizure. However, the use of AEDs may also lead to cutaneous adverse drug reactions (cADR) such as toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS), exfoliative dermatitis (ED) and drug‐induced hypersensitivity syndrome/drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DIHS/DRESS), which are unwanted comorbidities in epilepsy. It was first discovered that the HLA-B*15:02 allele was strongly associated with carbamazepine (CBZ)-induced SJS/TEN among Han Chinese and this led to the discovery of other HLA alleles and cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes that were significantly associated with various AED-induced cADRs across various populations.  This mini review is an update on the latest findings of the involvement of various HLA alleles and CYP alleles in cADRs caused by CBZ, phenytoin (PHT), oxcarbazepine (OXC) and lamitrogine (LTG) in different case-control studies around the world. From our review, we found that CBZ- and PHT-induced cADRs were more commonly reported than the other AEDs. Therefore, there were more robust pharmacogenetics studies related to these AEDs. OXC- and LTG-induced cADRs were less commonly reported, and so more studies are needed to validate the reported association of the newer reported HLA alleles with these AEDs. It is also important to take into account the allelic frequency within a given population before drawing conclusions about the use of these alleles as genetic markers to prevent AED-induced cADR. Overall, the current body of research point to a combination of alleles as a better pharmacogenetic marker compared to the use of a single gene as a genetic marker for AED-induced cADR.


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