A Cautionary Tale of Etanercept Use in Patients With Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a severe cutaneous reaction that can be life-threatening. In the United States, there are no established guidelines for the treatment of TEN. Supportive care including fluids and supportive therapies are the current recommendations. Research surrounding TEN involves mostly case studies or small, uncontrolled studies. Recent literature describes the use of tumor necrosis factor blockers in the treatment of TEN with positive results. These case reports describe decreased time to reepithelization, hospital length of stay, and minimal side effects. Conversely, we present three fatalities after the administration of etanercept.

Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms: DRESS following Initiation of Oxcarbazepine with Elevated Human Herpesvirus-6 Titer

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is a rare and potentially fatal severe cutaneous reaction, which has a delayed onset after the initiation of an inciting medication. After recognition and withdrawal of the causative agent, along with aggressive management, a majority of patients will have complete recovery over several months. We present a rare case of DRESS secondary to oxcarbazepine with an elevated human herpesvirus-6 titer.

Toxic epidermal necrolysis induced by lansoprazole*

Toxic epidermal necrolysis is a rare, severe cutaneous reaction, mostly caused by drugs. It affects the skin and mucous membranes, with involvement of more than 30% of body surface. We describe the case of a young woman, previously healthy, who developed skin detachment of more than 90% of the body surface 15 days after being administered lansoprazole for peptic disease. The treatment consisted in discontinuation of the drug involved and early administration of intravenous human immunoglobulin, which led to a satisfactory outcome of the case, substantiating the impact of early diagnosis and treatment on the morbidity and mortality of these patients.

Lamotrigine Induced Severe Cutaneous Reaction

Antiepileptic drugs are used commonly by physicians, neurologist and neurosurgeons in Nepal. Lamotrigine is an effective antiepileptic drug used as an add-on and monotherapy for a variety of seizure types in both adults and children. Rashes due to AED including SJS and hypersensitivity syndrome leading to hospitalization occur in approximately 0.33% of adults and 0.8% in children. Reactions due to LTG alone occur in around 5.7% of cases. We report probably the first case of this reaction in a 12-year old girl with a brief discussion on its etiology and management. J Nepal Paediatr Soc 2012;32(2):172-174 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jnps.v32i2.5608

Intravenous Voriconazole after Toxic Oral Administration

ABSTRACT In a male patient with rhinocerebral invasive aspergillosis, prolonged high-dosage oral administration of voriconazole led to hepatotoxicity combined with a severe cutaneous reaction while intravenous administration in the same patient did not. High concentrations in the portal blood precipitate liver enzyme abnormalities, and therefore, oral administration of voriconazole may have a hepatotoxicity profile different from that of intravenous (i.v.) administration. Intravenously administered voriconazole might still be an option after oral-voriconazole-induced toxicity has resolved.