
Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Drug allergy natural history, complications and prognosis
Introduction
Overview
Overview
In general, any allergic reaction will worsen with continued exposure to the offending agent. Anaphylaxis will most certainly progress to death if untreated, and the same is true for the severe allergic reactions such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis.
Natural History
Natural History
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome starts with a generalized macropapular rash, that will then progress to bullae, mucous membrane ulcerations, conjunctivitis, fever, sore throat, and fatigue.
- Toxic epidermal necrolysis will progress similarly to Stevens-Johnson syndrome, but will also cause large layers of the epidermis to detatch from the layers below, leading to extreme amounts of sloughing of the skin surface, and an appearance of the skin that looks like burns or scalding.
References
References
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Charmaine Patel, M.D. [2] Please help WikiDoc by adding more content here. It’s easy! Click here to learn about editing.
