Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a scary and painful skin disease that can strike any person at any time. The disease doesn’t care what age, sex or creed you are and it can be devastating to sufferers.

Prescription medications such as Children’s Tylenol, Motrin, Ibuprofen, Dilantin, Bextra and many others have been proven to be more likely to cause SJS, but just about any medication can trigger the adverse allergic reaction, including antibiotics like Levaquin. That sounds scary — but it isn’t even the worst part. The worst part is what Stevens-Johnson syndrome can do to you once it is contracted. Some of the symptoms that can occur with this skin disease are as follows:

  • rash that is red purplish that spreads quickly
  • painful blisters in the mucus membranes (eyes, nose, mouth and genitals)
  • painful skin
  • skin peeling off in large chunks (much like burn victims)

While the symptoms sound bad, treatment for it can be just as painful. Since the disease causes the skin to peel off in chunks, sufferers may lose as much as 70 percent of their skin and be prone to infection. The blisters in the mouth can make it hard if not impossible for patients to eat normally, so they may have to fed with IV. Breathing can be difficult if there is enough blockage to the nose or mouth, and many patients are given skin grafts to help them with the peeling skin.

In the worst cases of SJS, patients’ symptoms can evolve into a worse case of SJS called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TENS). While painful, TENS can leave lasting damage such as permanent blindness, scarring all over the body and even death. Sometimes the cause of patient SJS or TENS is not properly discovered if the patient is taking more than one drug. This means that they can be given more of the same drug that triggered the allergic reaction without anyone knowing it. When this happens, often the SJS can evolve into TENS before anyone knows what to do about it. No one knows what really causes SJS, and many don’t know that it exists. That is what makes it so horrific and dangerous.

If you are suffering from SJS, you may be eligible to file a disability insurance claim. Contact Greg Jones; I will work hard to help you get any money that you may be entitled to for your SJS. I am an experienced disability insurance attorney that will fight hard for you even if your claim has been denied or initially was accepted before being denied.