Complications of Stevens–Johnson syndrome beyond the eye and skin

• Multiple organ systems are chronically affected after SJS/TEN.
• Chronic complications can severely impact patients’ quality of life.
• Preventative care might limit the progression of these sequelae.

IntroductionOcular and cutaneous disease are common chronic sequelae of Stevens–Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) and have been well described in the literature. Long-term complications affecting other organ systems have not been so well described. The purpose of this review article is to highlight non-ocular and non-cutaneous chronic complications of SJS/TEN.MethodsThe PubMed database was searched for the keywords “Stevens–Johnson syndrome” and “toxic epidermal necrolysis” through September 1, 2014. Relevant articles were then reviewed in full.Results138 articles in the English language were found that described chronic sequelae of SJS/TEN. Our search revealed six affected organ systems other than the eyes and integument, with chronic sequelae from SJS/TEN: respiratory, gastrointestinal/hepatic, oral, otorhinolaryngologic, gynecologic/genitourinary, and renal. Complications involving these organs systems appeared likely to reduce the quality of life for SJS/TEN survivors.DiscussionSJS/TEN is a multi-organ disease requiring multidisciplinary care from a variety of specialists. Affected patients have complex hospital stays, and their quality of life may be severely impacted by multiple long-term complications. We believe that preventative care in the acute setting might limit the development and progression of many of the sequelae described above.