Severe skin reactions linked to ocular damage

Rouen, France

- Patients with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) or Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) commonly experience acute ocular involvement, according to a study published in the

Archives of Dermatology

.

Researchers studied 159 patients (mean age, 49.9 years), who had TEN and SJS, and had been out of the hospital for at least 15 months.

They found that acute ocular involvement was common, occurring in 117 (74 percent) of the patients, with 58 percent having mild symptoms and 8 percent each having moderate or severe symptoms, according to HealthDay News.

Investigators also found that patients with TEN were more likely to have ocular involvement than those with SJS, though the severity of the symptoms was similar, according to the investigators. Of 49 patients interviewed at least 15 months after discharge, 63 percent had late ocular complications, according to HealthDay.