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Added March 1st, 2005
Following the recent three day meeting held with the FDA advisory panel, concerns have been raised that the meeting dealt mainly with the heart related risks of cox-2 inhibitors, and not other potentially deadly risks, such as the skin disease Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Concerns are also rife because there is so little in the way of awareness with this disease, with even some doctors being unfamiliar with it, often leading to misdiagnosis.
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is a potentially deadly skin disease that usually results from a drug reaction. Another form of the disease is called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, and again this usually results from a drug-related reaction. Both forms of the disease can be deadly as well as very painful and distressing. In most cases, these disorders are caused by a reaction to a drug, and one drug that has come under fire lately is the cox-2 inhibitor Bextra, which is already linked to these disorders.
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome can affect any age group. However, it occurs most commonly in older people, and this could be because older people tend to use more of the drugs associated with the disease and are therefore collectively more at risk from the disease. People that have AIDS are also at an increased risk of contracting Stevens-Johnson Syndrome or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.
Although efforts are being made to raise awareness about this disease, it is still classed as relatively unknown. Some of the symptoms to look out for include non-specific symptoms such as cough, aching, headaches, and feverishness. This may be followed by a red rash across the face and the trunk of the body, which can continue to spread to other parts of the body. The rash can form into blisters, and these blisters can form in areas such as the eyes, mouth and vaginal area. The mucous membranes can become inflamed, and with Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis layers of the skin can also come away with ease and often the skin peels away in sheets. The hair and nails can also come away in some cases, and sufferers can become cold and feverish.