Nursing Care of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis in Children

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are rare, life-threatening, and rapidly developing skin diseases that are generally triggered by medications and characterized by epidermal separation and mucosal involvement. The cause of epidermal damage is the apoptosis of keratinocytes. This damage is frequently caused by medications or infections. The most common cause of infection is Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The most common drugs that cause damage are anticonvulsants, sulfonamide group antibiotics, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The disease starts with symptoms such as fever and flu symptoms. Mucosal involvement begins within 1-7 days. Although there are many options for treatment of the disease, there is no drug with proven efficacy. Systemic treatment and appropriate nursing care are recommended in the approach to the disease. Recently, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and corticosteroids have been considered as an effective treatment. In nursing care, protecting the skin from infections, providing optimal body temperature, providing appropriate oral and eye care, and pain management are among the primary issues. The aim of this study is to provide up-to-date information about pathophysiology, clinical signs, treatment, and nursing care of SJS and TEN, for which early diagnosis and treatment are important due to the lack of its own unique symptoms and clinical picture to the literature by reviewing the related literature.