Drug-induced febrile mucocutaneous syndrome with a survey of the literature

Abstract

A retrospective investigation of 89 cases of the Stevens-Johnson and/or Lyell's syndrome showed that 77 patients (87%) had been treated with drugs, 2/3 of them for symptoms of respiratory and/or urinary infections. The most frequent drugs were longterm sulfonamide preparations, penicillins, butazones and antiepileptics. Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus were the most common infective agents of those reported. More than 40% of the patients were below 20 years of age. There were more women than men. The mortality was 1-2% for the Stevens-Johnson syndrome and 4 of 11 patients for Lyell's syndrome. It must be pointed out that, in the individual patient, it can be difficult to determine the etiology, especially in cases with infections.