Khaberni - In a shocking medical incident, a 42-year-old woman nearly lost her life after suffering a severe drug reaction following the consumption of "Lamotrigine", used in treating mood disorders, leading to the peeling and loss of about 55% of her skin.
According to a report published in the journal "Surgical Case Reports", the patient arrived at the hospital with severe facial redness and clear bleeding, with the skin peeling extending to large areas including the neck, torso, and parts of the limbs, according to "The Sun".
A rare and dangerous condition
The medical team from Beneficencia Portuguesa Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil reported the condition to be diagnosed as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), both among the most dangerous and rare drug reactions that lead to skin detachment and the appearance of painful blisters that can be life-threatening.
According to doctors, the symptoms gradually started during a period ranging between two and three weeks before hospital admission, before the condition rapidly worsened and required transferring the patient to the intensive care unit.
Bacterial complications and complex treatments
During the treatment, it was discovered that the patient was infected with "Pseudomonas aeruginosa," further complicating the condition and prompting the medical team to use urgent antibiotics.
The doctors also resorted to an advanced therapeutic technique using biological grafts extracted from sheep's stomach tissue, known as (sheep's pre-stomach matrix), where it was applied to the face to help in repairing the damaged skin.
With the grafts applied five times over 17 days, the medical team recorded a gradual improvement in the inflammation, allowing later use on wider body areas.
The patient remained in the intensive care unit for 66 days before she was discharged from the hospital, with a follow-up examination after six months showing significant recovery and marked improvement in the skin condition.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a rare and dangerous condition resulting from an overreaction of the immune system to certain drugs, particularly epilepsy drugs and some antibiotics and painkillers such as "Ibuprofen".
According to the British National Health Service, symptoms usually start with headaches, joint pains, and cough, followed by a distinctive skin rash, then ulcers in the mouth, eyes, and throat.
