A teenage girl suffered a horrific allergic reaction to
heartburn tablets that left her skin falling off 'in chunks'.
Leanne Howes, 17, was given just 10 per cent chance of
survival after suffering a one-in-a-million allergic reaction to widely
available Zantac tablets.
The potentially fatal condition - Stevens-Johnson syndrome -
gripped her entire body, causing her skin to burn up, scab over and fall off.
The trainee hairdresser, from Hoveton, Norwich, developed
the syndrome after taking a 150mg dose of Zantac Ranitidine prescribed by her
doctor to treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
The illness left her in hospital for weeks while it ran its
devastating course. Zantac Ranitidine is available in tablet, injection and
syrup form. It is widely available to buy off the shelf in supermarkets and
chemists across the UK.
Miss Howes' nightmare began in September 2013 when she
suddenly fell ill.
Initially, she believed she was suffering from heat rash,
but became worried as an itchy, red rash spread across her entire body and her
skin broke out in blisters the size of tennis balls. She said: 'I'd not felt
very well at work, so I went to the chemist to pick up some tablets.
'Once I got home, I was fine, but when I woke up the next
morning, I was tired and nauseous. 'And then when I looked in the mirror, I saw
that I had a terrible rash.'
Worried, Miss Howes and her boyfriend, car salesman Jake
Round, 25, drove to her mother's house, where her condition rapidly worsened.
WHAT IS STEVENS JOHNSON SYNDROME?
Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a severe adverse reaction
to a medication. It was named after two U.S paediatricians who described it in
1922.
It affects around two people per million and is more common
among women. Symptoms include skin rashes, blisters in the mouth, ears and nose
and swelling of the eyelids.
If left untreated the condition can result in death.
Possible complications include permanent blindness and lung damage.
Once diagnosed doctors will immediately stop the patient
taking the offending drug. Treatment includes IV fluids and high calorie
formulas to promote healing.
Antibiotics are given when necessary to prevent secondary
infections such as sepsis. Pain
medications such as morphine can make the patient more comfortable.
During the night, blisters formed inside her throat and on
her tongue and she woke up the next morning struggling to breathe.
With blisters covering the soles of her feet, Miss Howes was
forced to crawl to the bathroom and attempt to call for help.
Her terrified mother, retail manager Amanda Corley, 38,
found her lying on the bathroom floor and the teenager was rushed to Norfolk
and Norwich University Hospital.
Doctors immediately gave her morphine and applied soothing
cream to her face and chest. But her skin began to fall off on a doctor's
fingertips as he examined her.
Over the next few days, she lost most of the surface of her
face. Parts of her chest, arms, back and
stomach also fell away. Miss Howes said: 'I thought I was going to die.
'I couldn't move, and my face was so swollen that my eyes
had fused shut. 'Everywhere was itching, and my skin was weeping a thick,
yellow pus.
'I had agonising blisters the size of tennis balls, and was
slipping in and out of consciousness. 'When I came round the next day, my mum
told me that doctors had said if I got through the night, it would be a
miracle. I was just so happy to be alive.'
Once it strikes, there is no way to stop Stevens-Johnson
syndrome, so Miss Howes had to fight for her life as the condition ran its
course.
Sufferers are treated in the same way as burns victims and
are given pain relief and fluid replacement. Doctors worked around the clock to
make her skin function normally again.
She spent the next four weeks on a morphine drip in
hospital, unable to walk or talk properly. She was so weak that she had to use
a wheelchair.
Her hair, nails, eyelashes and eyebrows fell out and at 5ft
tall, her weight plummeted from 7st to a dangerous 5st 10lbs.
She had to be fed through a tube, and doctors covered her
entire body in petroleum jelly up to three times a day.
Her mother, Amanda, and boyfriend Jake took it in turns to
stay by her bedside as she recovered.
Miss Howes was finally discharged in October 2013, but back
at home she was forced to come to terms with her new appearance.
She said: 'I'd always been proud of the way I looked. 'I
liked taking care of myself, and I followed all of the latest fashion trends
'Losing my hair, eyelashes and nails was devastating, but
Jake tells me that I am beautiful all of the time, which really helps.
'When I look back at the pictures of me in hospital I can't
believe it's me. I look like a monster from a Halloween movie.
'I now realise how lucky I am to be alive.' Today Miss Howes
suffers from dry, bumpy skin and has to take eye drops twice a day as the
condition scarred her tear ducts, leaving her with watery eyes.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome is incurable and 40 per cent of
people who contract the condition do not survive.
Doctors say it is likely that Miss Howes will have another
severe reaction if she ever takes Ranitidine again.
The terrifying incident has even left her too frightened to
take other medication such as paracetamol in fear of another reaction.
She said: 'I'm absolutely terrified to take any more
medication now.
'I'm so scared it will happen again and I might not be as
lucky.' Dr Clive Grattan, an expert Dermatology consultant at Norfolk and
Norwich University Hospital, said: 'At its worst, the condition can be lethal.
And the reaction is often completely unexpected.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome is an extremely rare condition -
around one in a million people will experience this kind of reaction.
'Scientists are still trying to confirm how it happens, but
it is believed that the immune system releases chemicals in reaction to the
triggering medication, and this causes damage to the outer layer of the skin.'
A spokesperson for GSK Pharmaceuticals which produces Zantac
said: 'We deeply sympathise with anyone suffering from SJS.
'We are committed to the highest standards of patient
safety, and as such take reports of side effects very seriously. We have a
robust and ongoing safety monitoring system for all of our medicines.
'If a patient has concerns or experiences side effects
relating to any medicines, they should talk to their doctor, pharmacist or
nurse as soon as possible.'
CULLED FROM DAILY MAIL
No comments:
Post a Comment