After childbirth in 2020, Aleshia Rogers, 27, mother of three children living in Nebraska, was just thinking of relieving her post-cesarean pain with her reference medicine: ibuprofen. She knows him well: for years she has used this non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) to appease her menstrual cramps. And it suited him very well. However, this harmless gesture almost cost him his life.
His skin stands out in shreds
Three weeks after joining her post-operative treatment, first symptoms appear: fever, swallowing pain, burning sensation in the throat, rash on the chest and swollen eyes.
“They were injected with blood and burned, so I went to the emergency room where I was told that I had a conjunctivitis”she says today.
The next day, it is hardly better. His face swells to the point of embarrassing his breathing. Back to emergencies: Scarlatin diagnosis, and recommendation … to continue ibuprofen to relieve pain.
In a few hours, the state of Aleshia then degrades suddenly: burning blisters on the face, chest and eyes, skin that stands out in shreds. Back in the hospital, the verdict falls: the young woman is affected by a toxic epidermal necrolysis (Lyell syndrome), an ultra-large form of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, probably triggered by ibuprofen.
Dive into a coma to recover
There, hell continues for Aleshia. Placed in an artificial coma, it loses 95 % of its skin and borders on sepsis and multivisceral failure. Doctors then only give him 10 % chance of survival. After 21 days of coma, she wakes up, amnesiac, and begins a long convalescence.
“My skin was dead and had detached … we called it a moult. It was like a fall”she recalls.
Five years later, Aleshia is still suffering from consequences, but she campaigned to inform about this rare risk: “I don’t want people to be afraid of drugs, but they are aware and attentive. “
An exceptional but potentially deadly risk
Does the ibuprofen that we find in many households put in danger? Dr. Gérald Kierzek, an emergency doctor, wants to be reassuring: severe allergic reactions to ibuprofen are extremely rare, but can engage the vital prognosis. Among the most serious forms are several reactions:
- Quincke edema (swelling of the face and throat, breathing difficulties);
- Anaphylactic shock (tension drop, loss of consciousness);
- Severe skin reactions such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome or Lyell syndrome;
- Worsening of a preexisting asthma.
“In the case of Aleshia, it is a Lyell syndrome, which affects more than 30 % of the body surface, with a skin detachment comparable to serious burns and a mortality rate of 20 to 30 %” specifies our expert.
The main causes of this evil remain the drugs (in 70-80 % of cases) but also some infections.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen;
- Antibiotics (sulfonamides, penicillins);
- Anticonvulsants (lamotrigine, carbamazepine);
- Infections (Mycoplasm, Herpes, HIV).
What are the signs to be spotted?
For the doctor, the alert signs are easily recognizable and intervene 1 to 3 weeks after taking a medication. These are:
- Fever, general discomfort;
- Painful red skin rash;
- Blisters, peeling skin (nikolsky sign);
- Affected by mucous membranes (mouth, eyes, genitals).
In this case, the driving to be held is radical: immediately stopping the suspect drug, Contact the Samu (15) which will engage an urgent hospitalization, often in intensive care or in a center for burn.
The treatment includes rehydration, sterile skin care, antibiotic therapy if necessary, and sometimes intravenous or corticosteroid immunoglobulins.
No drug is without risk
Aleisha’s sad story still allows an important reminder. Even over -the -counter, ibuprofen is not without risk. Severe reactions are extremely rare, but they require immediate care. Dr. Kierzek reminds us: “Never self -medication if you have already presented a drug allergy “.