Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: Retrospective study of 185 cases in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire)

Background: Cutaneous bullous adverse drug eruptions are a dreaded complication of drug use. Objective: The purpose of this study was to document the epidemiological features, outcomes, and causes of these reactions, in particular, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis (Lyell disease), in a teaching hospital in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire). Patients and Methods: A retrospective study reviewed the records of severe cutaneous drug reactions in patients managed in the dermatology department of the University Hospital of Treichville (Abidjan) over a period of ten years (from September 2000 through August 2010). Results: These diseases were diagnosed in 185 patients during the study period. Their mean age was 31.8 years (range: 2-70 years) and the M/F sex ratio was 0.6 The most frequent reactions, as expected, were Stevens-Johnson syndrome (73%) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (27%). The drugs most commonly involved were the antibacterial sulfonamides (22.1%), followed by the antiviral nevirapine (11.1%), and the antimalarial agent, sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine. The fatality rate was 22.5%, including 46% of the patients with toxic epidermal necrolysis and 14.6% of those with Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Respiratory distress (39.5%) and dehydration (23.4%) were the primary direct causes of death. Conclusion: Antibacterial sulfonamides are the leading drugs implicated in the occurrence of bullous drug eruptions in Abidjan.