Loading...
Loading...
Toxic epidermal necrolysis is a life-threatening, delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction characterized by ≥30% body surface area (BSA) epidermal detachment, widespread mucosal erosions, and systemic toxicity, with mortality rates of 25–50%. [1-3] It represents the most severe end of the SJS/TEN spectrum and is a true dermatologic emergency requiring immediate recognition, drug withdrawal, and transfer to a burn/ICU center. [4-5]
The following figure illustrates the clinical spectrum from SJS to TEN based on extent of epidermal detachment:
1. History
2. Alarm Features
3. Medications
High-risk culprit drugs (onset typically 4–28 days after initiation): [1][8][12]
Contraindicated: Thalidomide — an RCT was stopped early due to increased mortality in TEN. [14] Prophylactic systemic antibiotics are not recommended without evidence of infection. [5]
Systemic therapies (controversial, no consensus): [14-15]
4. Diet
5. Review of Systems
6. Collateral History and Family History
7. Risk Factors
8. Differential Diagnosis
9. Past Medical History
10. Physical Exam
Vital signs: Fever (often >38.5°C), tachycardia, hypotension in severe cases
Skin:
Mucosal exam (involved in ~80% of cases): [7]
Systemic: Lung auscultation (crackles suggest bronchial involvement), abdominal exam
11. Lab Studies
12. Imaging
13. Special Tests
Diagnostic:
Scoring systems:
Pharmacogenomic testing (pre-prescription screening): [20]
14. ECG
15. Assessment
TEN is classified by ≥30% BSA epidermal detachment (SJS <10%, overlap 10–30%). [1][8] It is a delayed-type (Type IV) hypersensitivity reaction mediated by drug-specific cytotoxic T cells and NK cells, with granulysin as the key effector molecule causing keratinocyte apoptosis. [1][25]
Severity stratification: SCORTEN should be calculated within 24 hours and repeated at day 3. [25][28] Mortality ranges from 3.2% (SCORTEN 0–1) to 90% (SCORTEN ≥5). [1] Recent data suggest SCORTEN may overestimate mortality in contemporary cohorts due to improvements in supportive care. [25][28]
Complications to anticipate: sepsis (leading cause of death), ARDS, acute renal failure, DIC, GI hemorrhage, electrolyte derangements, and multiorgan failure. [1][7] Long-term sequelae affect >80% of survivors — cutaneous (82%), ocular (59%), oral (48%), and psychological (depression 49%, anxiety 47%, PTSD 37%). [19]
The following figure shows the frequency of long-term sequelae in SJS/TEN survivors:
16. Treatment Plan
Immediate stabilization (ED):
Wound care:
Mucosal care:
Systemic immunomodulatory therapy (no consensus; institution-dependent): [14-15]
Supportive measures: DVT prophylaxis, stress ulcer prophylaxis, nutritional support, infection surveillance [5]
The following figure shows the distribution of culprit drugs and treatment approaches across European centers:
17. Disposition
Specialist consultations (all urgent): [4][13]
18. Follow Up / Return Precautions
Post-discharge follow-up (multidisciplinary, prolonged): [7][30]
Return precautions:
Lifelong precautions:
1. Current Perspectives on Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — Lerch M, Mainetti C, Terziroli Beretta-Piccoli B, Harr T. Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology. 2018.
2. Current Perspectives on Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — Lerch M, Mainetti C, Terziroli Beretta-Piccoli B, Harr T. Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology. 2018.
3. Current Perspectives on Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — Lerch M, Mainetti C, Terziroli Beretta-Piccoli B, Harr T. Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology. 2018.
4. Worldwide Prevalence of Antibiotic-Associated Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. — Lee EY, Knox C, Phillips EJ. JAMA Dermatology. 2023.
5. Worldwide Prevalence of Antibiotic-Associated Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. — Lee EY, Knox C, Phillips EJ. JAMA Dermatology. 2023.
6. Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. — Harr T, French LE. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. 2010.
7. Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. — Harr T, French LE. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. 2010.
8. High Risk and Low Prevalence Diseases: Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — van Nispen C, Long B, Koyfman A. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2024.
9. High Risk and Low Prevalence Diseases: Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — van Nispen C, Long B, Koyfman A. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2024.
10. Multidisciplinary Treatment in Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — Surowiecka A, Barańska-Rybak W, Strużyna J. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023.
11. Multidisciplinary Treatment in Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — Surowiecka A, Barańska-Rybak W, Strużyna J. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023.
12. Correlations Between Clinical Patterns and Causes of Erythema Multiforme Majus, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Results of an International Prospective Study. — Auquier-Dunant A, Mockenhaupt M, Naldi L, et al. Archives of Dermatology. 2002.
13. Correlations Between Clinical Patterns and Causes of Erythema Multiforme Majus, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Results of an International Prospective Study. — Auquier-Dunant A, Mockenhaupt M, Naldi L, et al. Archives of Dermatology. 2002.
14. Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions to Drugs. — Duong TA, Valeyrie-Allanore L, Wolkenstein P, Chosidow O. Lancet. 2017.
15. Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions to Drugs. — Duong TA, Valeyrie-Allanore L, Wolkenstein P, Chosidow O. Lancet. 2017.
16. Assessment of Treatment Approaches and Outcomes in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Insights From a Pan-European Multicenter Study. — Kridin K, Brüggen MC, Chua SL, et al. JAMA Dermatology. 2021.
17. Assessment of Treatment Approaches and Outcomes in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Insights From a Pan-European Multicenter Study. — Kridin K, Brüggen MC, Chua SL, et al. JAMA Dermatology. 2021.
18. Infantile Stevens Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: A systematic review of clinical features and outcomes in children ages 12 months and under. — Iriarte C, Karim SA, Nassim JS, Grenier PO, Massey KJ. Pediatric Dermatology. 2022.
19. Infantile Stevens Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: A systematic review of clinical features and outcomes in children ages 12 months and under. — Iriarte C, Karim SA, Nassim JS, Grenier PO, Massey KJ. Pediatric Dermatology. 2022.
20. Distinguishing Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis From Clinical Mimickers During Inpatient Dermatologic Consultation-a Retrospective Chart Review. — Weinkle A, Pettit C, Jani A, et al. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2019.
21. Distinguishing Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis From Clinical Mimickers During Inpatient Dermatologic Consultation-a Retrospective Chart Review. — Weinkle A, Pettit C, Jani A, et al. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2019.
22. Risk of Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Survivors. — Chiu HY, Chiu YM. JAMA Dermatology. 2025.
23. Risk of Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Survivors. — Chiu HY, Chiu YM. JAMA Dermatology. 2025.
24. Culprit Medications and Risk Factors Associated With Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study. — Gronich N, Maman D, Stein N, Saliba W. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology. 2022.
25. Culprit Medications and Risk Factors Associated With Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study. — Gronich N, Maman D, Stein N, Saliba W. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology. 2022.
26. Management of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Related Toxicities. — Updated 2025-10-23. National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
27. Management of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Related Toxicities. — Updated 2025-10-23. National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
28. Systemic Interventions for Treatment of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), and SJS/TEN Overlap Syndrome. — Jacobsen A, Olabi B, Langley A, et al. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2022.
29. Systemic Interventions for Treatment of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), and SJS/TEN Overlap Syndrome. — Jacobsen A, Olabi B, Langley A, et al. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2022.
30. Systemic Immunomodulating Therapies for Epidermal Necrolysis (Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. — Heuer R, Paulmann M, Mockenhaupt M, Nast A. Journal Der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft = Journal of the German Society of Dermatology : JDDG. 2025.
31. Systemic Immunomodulating Therapies for Epidermal Necrolysis (Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. — Heuer R, Paulmann M, Mockenhaupt M, Nast A. Journal Der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft = Journal of the German Society of Dermatology : JDDG. 2025.
32. Evaluation of Plasmapheresis vs Immunoglobulin as First Treatment After Ineffective Systemic Corticosteroid Therapy for Patients With Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — Miyamoto Y, Ohbe H, Kumazawa R, et al. JAMA Dermatology. 2023.
33. Evaluation of Plasmapheresis vs Immunoglobulin as First Treatment After Ineffective Systemic Corticosteroid Therapy for Patients With Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — Miyamoto Y, Ohbe H, Kumazawa R, et al. JAMA Dermatology. 2023.
34. Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Review of Current Management and Innovative Therapies. — Martinez Villarreal JD, Cardenas-de la Garza JA, Ionescu MA, et al. International Journal of Dermatology. 2025.
35. Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Review of Current Management and Innovative Therapies. — Martinez Villarreal JD, Cardenas-de la Garza JA, Ionescu MA, et al. International Journal of Dermatology. 2025.
36. Updates on the Ocular Manifestations and Treatment of SJS/TEN. — Sotozono C, Ueta M. Allergology International : Official Journal of the Japanese Society of Allergology. 2025.
37. Updates on the Ocular Manifestations and Treatment of SJS/TEN. — Sotozono C, Ueta M. Allergology International : Official Journal of the Japanese Society of Allergology. 2025.
38. Long-term Physical and Psychological Outcomes of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — Hoffman M, Chansky PB, Bashyam AR, et al. JAMA Dermatology. 2021.
39. Long-term Physical and Psychological Outcomes of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — Hoffman M, Chansky PB, Bashyam AR, et al. JAMA Dermatology. 2021.
40. Clinical Pharmacogenomic Testing and Reporting: A Technical Standard of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). — Tayeh MK, Gaedigk A, Goetz MP, et al. Genetics in Medicine : Official Journal of the American College of Medical Genetics. 2022.
41. Clinical Pharmacogenomic Testing and Reporting: A Technical Standard of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). — Tayeh MK, Gaedigk A, Goetz MP, et al. Genetics in Medicine : Official Journal of the American College of Medical Genetics. 2022.
42. HLA-B*58:01 and Risk of Allopurinol-Induced Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions in the US. — Campbell CN, Krantz MS, Yu A, Phillips EJ, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (SJS/TEN) Survivor Study Collaborators. JAMA Dermatology. 2025.
43. HLA-B*58:01 and Risk of Allopurinol-Induced Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions in the US. — Campbell CN, Krantz MS, Yu A, Phillips EJ, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (SJS/TEN) Survivor Study Collaborators. JAMA Dermatology. 2025.
44. Predictive Value of a Severity-of-Illness Score for Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (SCORTEN) Factors for in-Hospital Mortality in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — Nikitina E, Dushkin A, Streltsov Y, et al. Frontiers in Medicine. 2025.
45. Predictive Value of a Severity-of-Illness Score for Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (SCORTEN) Factors for in-Hospital Mortality in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. — Nikitina E, Dushkin A, Streltsov Y, et al. Frontiers in Medicine. 2025.
46. Immunohistopathological Findings of Severe Cutaneous Adverse Drug Reactions. — Orime M. Journal of Immunology Research. 2017.
47. Immunohistopathological Findings of Severe Cutaneous Adverse Drug Reactions. — Orime M. Journal of Immunology Research. 2017.
48. Severe Adverse Cutaneous Reactions to Drugs. — Roujeau JC, Stern RS. The New England Journal of Medicine. 1994.
49. Severe Adverse Cutaneous Reactions to Drugs. — Roujeau JC, Stern RS. The New England Journal of Medicine. 1994.
50. Improvement of Mortality Prognostication in Patients With Epidermal Necrolysis: The Role of Novel Inflammatory Markers and Proposed Revision of SCORTEN (Re-SCORTEN). — Koh HK, Fook-Chong SMC, Lee HY. JAMA Dermatology. 2022.
51. Improvement of Mortality Prognostication in Patients With Epidermal Necrolysis: The Role of Novel Inflammatory Markers and Proposed Revision of SCORTEN (Re-SCORTEN). — Koh HK, Fook-Chong SMC, Lee HY. JAMA Dermatology. 2022.
52. Assessment and Comparison of Performance of ABCD-10 and SCORTEN in Prognostication of Epidermal Necrolysis. — Koh HK, Fook-Chong S, Lee HY. JAMA Dermatology. 2020.
53. Assessment and Comparison of Performance of ABCD-10 and SCORTEN in Prognostication of Epidermal Necrolysis. — Koh HK, Fook-Chong S, Lee HY. JAMA Dermatology. 2020.
54. Drug-Induced Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Ten-Year Retrospective Study of 103 Cases. — Zhou L, Lu Y, Zou Y, et al. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. 2025.
55. Drug-Induced Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Ten-Year Retrospective Study of 103 Cases. — Zhou L, Lu Y, Zou Y, et al. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. 2025.
56. Accuracy of SCORTEN to Predict the Prognosis of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. — Torres-Navarro I, Briz-Redón Á, Botella-Estrada R. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV. 2020.
57. Accuracy of SCORTEN to Predict the Prognosis of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. — Torres-Navarro I, Briz-Redón Á, Botella-Estrada R. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV. 2020.
58. Ocular Sequelae of Epidermal Necrolysis: French National Audit of Practices, Literature Review and Proposed Management. — Thorel D, Ingen-Housz-Oro S, Benaïm D, et al. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. 2023.
59. Ocular Sequelae of Epidermal Necrolysis: French National Audit of Practices, Literature Review and Proposed Management. — Thorel D, Ingen-Housz-Oro S, Benaïm D, et al. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. 2023.
60. Diagnosing and Managing Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis in Adults: Review of Evidence 2017-2023. — Ingen-Housz-Oro S, Matei I, Gaillet A, et al. The Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2025.
61. Diagnosing and Managing Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis in Adults: Review of Evidence 2017-2023. — Ingen-Housz-Oro S, Matei I, Gaillet A, et al. The Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2025.
62. Chronic Ocular Complications in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Clinical Features and Surgical Management in a Brazilian Tertiary Center. — de Alcântara RJA, Wakamatsu TH, Hirai FE, et al. Cornea. 2025.
63. Chronic Ocular Complications in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: Clinical Features and Surgical Management in a Brazilian Tertiary Center. — de Alcântara RJA, Wakamatsu TH, Hirai FE, et al. Cornea. 2025.
64. Severe Ocular Complications of SJS/TEN and Associations Among Pre-Onset, Acute, and Chronic Factors: A Report From the International Ophthalmology Collaborative Group. — Ueta M, Inoue C, Nakata M, et al. Frontiers in Medicine. 2023.
65. Severe Ocular Complications of SJS/TEN and Associations Among Pre-Onset, Acute, and Chronic Factors: A Report From the International Ophthalmology Collaborative Group. — Ueta M, Inoue C, Nakata M, et al. Frontiers in Medicine. 2023.