Clinical Case of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis

Toxic epidermal necrolysis or Lyell’s syndrome is a severe life-threatening adverse drug reaction with a high mortality rate. The drugs most commonly involved are: antibiotics; anticonvulsants; antiretroviral drugs; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, allopurinol. Case report: A 68-year-old female, presented with complaints of fever and extensive rashes on the skin of the face, the neck and the trunk, severe itching of the skin, ulcerations and erythema of the conjunctiva and the oral cavity and difficulty in swallowing. She has a period of two or three days of general discomfort and fatigue, rash, fever up to 38°C, sore throat, arthralgia, myalgia, loss of appetite and have been treated with antipyretics, antibiotic – ampicillin, antihistamines, vitamins. Her state worsened during the next 3 days, therefore she was hospitalized in the Toxicology clinic of University Hospital “N. I. Pirogov”. Multiple maculopapular and bullous eruptions, plaques were present all over the body, blisters that cover a substantial portion of the body. The entire skin covering the body surface was denuded and peeled off with minor manipulation – the Nikolsky’s sign. Intraorally, multiple oral ulcers of the buccal mucosa, tongue, palate, labial mucosa, and soft palate were seen. Hemorrhagic erosions were also seen on both the upper and lower lips. Conjunctivitis and ulceration of genitalia were also noted. The lesions got slowly better with serum therapy, fluid and electrolyte replacement, systemic corticosteroids, antihistamines, antibiotic, vitamins, H2 blockers, topical care of mucosal changes. Evolution was satisfactory with epidermization and the patient was discharged from the hospital after 1 month.