title: High-dose intravenous immunoglobulins in the treatment of toxic epidermal necrolysis: an Asian series.
abstract: Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a severe, immune-mediated, mucocutaneous reaction resulting in extensive keratinocyte apoptosis. High-dose human intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) have been proposed as an effective treatment for TEN. Retrospective data from 8 patients with TEN and 4 patients with Stevens-Johnson syndrome-toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS-TEN) overlap treated with high-dose IVIG were analysed. The total dose of IVIG administered was 2 g/kg body weight, with the exception of 2 patients who received a total dose of 1.5 g/kg body weight. Their mean age was 49.9+/-18.8 years (range, 19 to 70 years). The mean time from the first sign of skin lesion or mucosal or epidermal detachment to commencement of IVIG was 8.7+/-5.5 days (range, 3 to 22 days). Of the 11 patients who survived, the mean time to objective response was 3.6+/-1.9 days (range, 2 to 8 days). The length of stay (LOS) in hospital was 20.4+/-8.0 days (range, 10 to 37 days). The survival rate was 91.6%. One patient developed permanent mucocutaneous sequelae following TEN. There were no adverse reactions to IVIG. We conclude that high-dose IVIG may be a safe and effective therapy for Asian patients with TEN.
authors.affiliation: National Skin Centre, Singapore.
authors.forename: Audrey W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Bernard Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Thong
authors.forename: Leonard W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Yip
authors.forename: Hiok Hee
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chng
authors.forename: See Ket
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Ng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D013262:Stevens-Johnson Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous