Chronic Ocular Complications of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: The Role of Systemic Immunomodulatory Therapy

Long-term outcomes of glued (sutureless) amniotic membrane transplantation in acute Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis: a comparative study

PURPOSE

To compare the effectiveness and efficiency of a glued (sutureless) technique for amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) with a traditional sutured one in the setting of acute Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN).

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study evaluated all patients diagnosed with SJS/TEN between 2008 and 2020 within our hospital network who received AMT in the acute phase according to our protocol and had at least one ophthalmic follow-up in the chronic phase. Primary outcomes included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at the most recent visit, presence of a severe ocular complication (SOC) via predefined criteria, time to procedure and duration of procedure. Random effects model analysis was used to evaluate the impact of potential covariates on outcome measures.

RESULTS

A total of 23 patients (45 eyes) were included: 14 patients (27 eyes) in the AMT suture group and 9 patients (18 eyes) in the AMT glue group. There was no difference between the two groups in BCVA at the most recent visit (p=0.5112) or development of a SOC (p=1.000). The glue method was shorter in duration than the suture method (p<0.001). Random effects model additionally indicated that there was no difference in BCVA at most recent follow-up between patients who had received glued versus sutured AMT (p=0.1460).

CONCLUSIONS

Our glued technique for AMT is as effective as our sutured technique in stabilising the ocular surface and mitigating chronic ocular complications in SJS/TEN. The glued technique is also shorter in duration and performed more expediently than the sutured technique.

The clinical outcomes of minor salivary gland transplantation for severe dry eye disease secondary to chronic Stevens-Johnson syndrome

PURPOSE

To study the outcomes of minor salivary gland transplantation for severe dry eye disease secondary to chronic Steven Johnson Syndrome.

METHODS

It was an ambispective, interventional case series conducted at Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, Delhi, India from 2022 to 2023 evaluating the outcomes of minor salivary gland transplantation with anchorage of the minor salivary glands to superior rectus muscle in twenty cases of severe dry eye disease secondary to chronic Steven-Johnson Syndrome. The pre-operative clinical parameters were compared to those at post-operative 1 year follow-up.

RESULTS

At 1 year follow-up, there was an improvement in mean Schirmer-1 value (p = 0.0004), hyperemia score (p = 0.0004), keratinization score (p = 0.04), corneal epithelial defect score (p = 0.0004), corneal opacification score (p = 0.001), corneal neovascularization score (p = 0.001), palisades of Vogt score (p = 0.007), corneal keratinization score (p = 0.04) and corneal conjunctivalization score (p = 0.08).

CONCLUSION

The minor salivary gland transplantation is a viable management option for cases with severe dry eye disease secondary to chronic Steven Johnson Syndrome with clinical improvement in corneal and conjunctival parameters of the ocular surface.

Clinical Characteristics and Treatment of Ophthalmic Sequelae of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis at a Tertiary Eyecare Centre in Hungary

INTRODUCTION

This study analysed the causative factors and clinical characteristics of acute and chronic ocular sequelae of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) treated at a large third-referral centre in a developed country (Hungary) over a 15-year period.

METHODS

This was a retrospective review of patients with acute and/or chronic SJS/TEN who were managed between 2006 and 2020 at the Department of Ophthalmology of Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. For each subject, clinical data, including patient demographics, clinical history, causative agents of SJS/TEN, and conservative and surgical treatment details, were reviewed.

RESULTS

Ninety-six eyes of 48 patients were included (28 female; 58.3%); the age at disease onset was 32.1 ± 22.4 years. The most common causative factors were medicines (n = 36; 75.0%). Among these drugs, 29.2% were nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (n = 14), 20.8% were antibiotics (n = 10) and 14.6% were antiepileptic drugs (n = 7). In patients with chronic SJS/TEN, the most commonly found ocular sequelae were conjunctival hyperaemia in 45 (56.3%) eyes, symblepharon in 38 (47.5%) eyes, trichiasis/distichiasis in 37 (46.3%) eyes, corneal neovascularization in 31 (38.8%) eyes and corneal scarring in 29 (36.3%) eyes. In patients with chronic SJS/TEN, the most frequently used topical conservative treatment included antibiotics in 53 (66.3%) eyes, preservative-free artificial tears in 50 (62.5%) eyes and topical corticosteroids in 42 (52.5%) eyes of 40 patients. The most frequently performed ocular surgeries for managing chronic ocular sequelae in patients with SJS/TEN were epilation for trichiasis (n = 27; 33.8%), cataract surgery (n = 14; 17.5%), entropion surgery (n = 12; 15.0%), penetrating keratoplasty (PK) (n = 11; 13.8%) and amniotic membrane transplantation (n = 4; 5.0%).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that NSAIDs, antibiotics and antiepileptic drugs are the most common causative factors for SJS/TEN in Hungary. Like in other countries, in Hungary, the ocular management of patients with acute and chronic SJS/TEN is heterogeneous, and most cases do not follow modern therapeutic guidelines.

Self-Retained, Sutureless Amniotic Membrane Transplantation for the Management of Ocular Surface Diseases

Amniotic membrane (AM) has anti-inflammation, anti-fibrotic, and regenerative effects. Sutureless cryopreserved AM transplantation, ProKera® (Bio-Tissue, Inc., Miami, FL, USA), is easily applied by ophthalmologists in the treatment of ocular surface diseases. This retrospective study included patients with ocular surface diseases who received ProKera® between January 2022 and May 2023. Six patients (9 eyes) with a mean age of 56.8 ± 20.8 years old (range 25-74) and a mean follow-up period of 7.8 ± 4.1 months (range 1-12) were included, including 2 of recurrent conjunctival tumors with limbal and corneal involvement (cases 1-2), 1 of pterygium with marked astigmatism (case 3) and 3 of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS, cases 4-6). ProKera® was inserted after the lesion excision and deep keratectomy in cases 1-3, and no recurrence or corneal complication was noted. Cases 4-5 were discharged from the intensive care unit and presented with severe chronic SJS. Most ocular manifestations improved significantly after symblepharon release and ProKera® insertion, except for corneal conjunctivalization in 1 eye (case 5). Case 6 involved early ProKera® use at the bedside during acute SJS, resulting in complete resolution. We concluded that the adjunctive application of ProKera® can be effective for ocular surface reconstruction and provides options to intervene earlier for outpatients or patients unstable for invasive surgical intervention.

Ophthalmic Aspects of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Narrative Review

The aim of our review article was to summarize the current literature on Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and its severe form, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). SJS/TEN is a serious, rare multi-system, immune-mediated, mucocutaneous disease with a significant mortality rate that can lead to severe ocular surface sequelae and even to bilateral blindness. Restoration of the ocular surface in acute and chronic SJS/TEN is challenging. There are only limited local or systemic treatment options for SJS/TEN. Early diagnosis, timely amniotic membrane transplantation and aggressive topical management in acute SJS/TEN are necessary to prevent long-term, chronic ocular complications. Although the primary aim of acute care is to save the life of the patient, ophthalmologists should regularly examine patients already in the acute phase, which should also be followed by systematic ophthalmic examination in the chronic phase. Herein, we summarize actual knowledge on the epidemiology, aetiology, pathology, clinical appearance and treatment of SJS/TEN.

Validation of a genotyping technique for a surrogate marker of HLA-B∗58:01 for allopurinol-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in the Japanese population

Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) are rare but severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions. Certain human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types have been associated with SJS/TEN onset, e.g., HLA-B^∗58:01 with allopurinol-induced SJS/TEN, but HLA typing is time-consuming and expensive; thus, it is not commonly used in clinical situations. In the previous work, we demonstrated that the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) rs9263726 was in absolute linkage disequilibrium with HLA-B^∗58:01 in the Japanese population, and can be used as a surrogate marker for the HLA. Here, we developed a new genotyping method for the surrogate SNP using the single-stranded tag hybridization chromatographic printed-array strip (STH-PAS) technique and performed an analytical validation. The results of genotyping rs9263726 using STH-PAS correlated well with those obtained using the TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay for 15 HLA-B^∗58:01-positive and 13 HLA-B^∗58:01-negative patients (analytical sensitivity and specificity were both 100%). Additionally, at least 1.11 ng of genomic DNA was sufficient to digitally and manually detect positive signals on the strip. Robustness studies showed that the annealing temperature (66 °C) was the most important condition related to reliable results. Collectively, we developed an STH-PAS method that can rapidly and easily detect rs9263726 for predicting SJS/TEN onset.

Fungi of the human eye: Culture to mycobiome

The focus of the current review is multi-fold and compares the diversity and abundance of fungi on the ocular surface by the conventional culture-based method with the more sensitive, high throughput, culture-independent NGS method. The aim is to highlight the existence of a core ocular mycobiome and explore the transition of the ocular fungal microbiota from the normal eye to the diseased eye. PubMed, Google Scholar and Medline were used to search for publications and reviews related to cultivable fungi and the mycobiome of the normal and diseased eye. The conventional cultivable approach and the NGS approach confirm that the eye has its own mycobiome and several confounding factors (age, gender, ethnicity etc.) influence the mycobiome. Further, dysbiosis in the mycobiome appears to be associated with ocular diseases and thus impacts the health of the human eye. Considering that the mycobiome of the eye is influenced by several confounding factors and also varies with respect to the disease status of the eye there is a need to extensively explore the mycobiome under different physiological conditions, different ethnicities, geographical regions etc. Such studies would unravel the diversity and abundance of the mycobiomes and contribute to our understanding of ocular health. Research focused on ocular mycobiomes may eventually help to build a targeted and individualized treatment.

Ocular manifestations in acute stage Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis - A retrospective study in a tertiary hospital in south India

PURPOSE:

To describe the ocular manifestations in the acute stage of Stevens-Johnson syndrome/ toxic epidermal necrolysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

We reviewed all the medical records of patients diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome/ toxic epidermal necrolysis and erythema multiforme between 2012 and 2019. Demographics, ophthalmic manifestations, and the treatment given systemically and locally were reviewed and analyzed.

RESULTS:

We had forty-five patients admitted to our hospital between Jan 2012 to Dec 2019 with SJS/TEN as a diagnosis.Twenty-six (57.5%) of them were females, and 19(42.2%) were males. The mean age was 27.5 years.Forty (88.9%) of our cases were diagnosed as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and five (11.9%) as toxic epidermal necrolysis. We found antiepileptics as a triggering agent in thirteen cases (28.8%). Fever (84.4%) and mucosal lesions (86.7%) were the most common presenting symptom. We found ocular symptoms in only 22 (48.9%) patients. The treating physicians referred only thirty-one cases to the ophthalmologist, out of which 22 cases were referred within three days of admission. The most common ocular involvement was conjunctival congestion (69%). Ocular grading showed that mild grade included 42.9%, moderate grade 28.6%, and severe grade 28.6% of the cases. The ocular treatment involved medical management with lubricating drops (100%), topical steroids (58.6%), and topical antibiotics (68.9%). Five individuals with a severe grade of ocular involvement underwent amniotic membrane transplantation.

CONCLUSION:

Ocular examination and grading are essential in the acute stage of SJS/TEN. It helps the ophthalmologist recognize the sentinel findings and institute appropriate treatment in the acute stage as early as possible.

Acute and Chronic Management of Ocular Disease in Stevens Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis in the USA

Stevens Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis are on a spectrum of a severe, immune-mediated, mucocutaneous disease. Ocular involvement occurs in the vast majority of cases and severe involvement can lead to corneal blindness. Treatment in the acute phase is imperative in mitigating the severity of chronic disease. Advances in acute treatment such as amniotic membrane transplantation have shown to significantly reduce the severity of chronic disease. However, AMT is not a panacea and severe chronic ocular disease can and does still occur even with aggressive acute treatment. Management of chronic disease is equally critical as timely intervention can prevent worsening of disease and preserve vision. This mini-review describes the acute and chronic findings in SJS/TEN and discusses medical and surgical management strategies.

Clinical and pathogenic aspects of the severe cutaneous adverse reaction epidermal necrolysis (EN)

The severe cutaneous adverse reaction epidermal necrolysis (EN) which includes toxic epidermal necrolysis and the milder Stevens-Johnson syndrome is characterized by epidermal loss due to massive keratinocyte apoptosis and/or necroptosis. EN is often caused by a drug mediating a specific TCR-HLA interaction via the (pro)hapten, pharmacological interaction or altered peptide loading mechanism involving a self-peptide presented by keratinocytes. (Memory) CD8 + T cells are activated and exhibit cytotoxicity against keratinocytes via the perforin/granzyme B and granulysin pathway and Fas/FasL interaction. Alternatively drug-induced annexin release by CD14 + monocytes can induce formyl peptide receptor 1 death of keratinocytes by necroptosis. Subsequent keratinocyte death stimulates local inflammation, activating other immune cells producing pro-inflammatory molecules and downregulating regulatory T cells. Widespread epidermal necrolysis and inflammation can induce life-threatening systemic effects, leading to high mortality rates. Research into genetic susceptibility aims to identify risk factors for eventual prevention of EN. Specific HLA class I alleles show the strongest association with EN, but risk variants have also been identified in genes involved in drug metabolism, cellular drug uptake, peptide presentation and function of CD8 + T cells and other immune cells involved in cytotoxic responses. After the acute phase of EN, long-term symptoms can remain or arise mainly affecting the skin and eyes. Mucosal sequelae are characterized by occlusions and strictures due to adherence of denuded surfaces and fibrosis following mucosal inflammation. In addition, systemic pathology can cause acute and chronic hepatic and renal symptoms. EN has a large psychological impact and strongly affects health-related quality of life among EN survivors.

Propranolol eye drops in patients with corneal neovascularization

RATIONALE

Studies performed in animal models of corneal neovascularization suggested the possible efficacy of a treatment with propranolol. Corneal neovascularization is one of the most feared complications of Stevens-Johnson syndrome that frequently involves ocular surface. We report the first 2 patients with severe ocular neo-vascularization treated with different degrees of success, with propranolol eye drops.

PATIENT CONCERNS

Two patients with corneal neovascularization complicating the Stevens-Johnson syndrome, not responsive to steroids and cyclosporine, were treated with propranolol eye drops.

DIAGNOSES

Corneal neovascularization was detected by ophthalmoscopic evaluation.

INTERVENTIONS

Topical treatment with propranolol eye drops at different concentrations.

OUTCOMES

Both patients reported dramatic subjective benefits (reduction of photophobia and discomfort) without adverse effects, and in the patient with a less advanced disease, an objective reduction of neovascularization and an improved visual acuity was observed.

LESSONS

This experience suggests that propranolol might be an inexpensive, safe and effective treatment in counteracting the progression of corneal neovascularization.

Specific association of the rs6500265 and rs9933632 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in Japanese patients with antipyretic analgesic-related Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis with severe ocular involvements

A recent study using the microarray for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyping specifically designed for the Japanese population in combination with genome-wide imputation showed the association of several SNPs with cold medicine-related Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) with severe ocular complications. However, it remains to be determined whether these polymorphisms are associated with the onset of antipyretic analgesic (AA)-related SJS/TEN, the progression of severe ocular involvements (SOIs), or both AA-related SJS/TEN and SOI phenotypes. To gain a better understanding of the features of these genetic markers, we compared the allele and carrier frequencies of these SNPs among our original SJS/TEN patient groups: (a) AA-related SJS/TEN with SOIs, (b) AA-related SJS/TEN without SOIs, and (c) AA-unrelated SJS/TEN with SOIs. AA-related SJS/TEN with SOIs were found to be associated significantly with both rs6500265 [allele frequency: odds ratio (OR): 2.18; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30-3.65; P=0.0052; carrier frequency: OR: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.33-4.78; P=0.058] and rs9933632 (allele frequency: OR: 2.28: 95% CI: 1.37-3.79; P=0.0032; carrier frequency: OR: 2.76; 95% CI: 1.46-5.22; P=0.0031). In contrast, allele and carrier frequencies of these SNPs in patients with AA-related SJS/TEN without SOIs or with SOIs not treated with any AAs were comparable with those in healthy Japanese controls. Collectively, our findings indicate that the rs6500265 and rs9933632 SNPs could be specific markers for AA-related SJS/TEN with SOIs, suggesting that certain genetic backgrounds contribute toward the etiology of this complex syndrome.

A cross-sectional comparative study on chronic ocular manifestations of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in Chinese eyes: a 15-year case series

PURPOSE

To compare the chronic ocular manifestations in Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis patients from a 15-year cohort.

METHODS

All SJS and TEN patients admitted to our burn intensive care unit between 1999 and 2014 were invited for assessment. Slit-lamp examination was performed, and ocular condition was graded according to the Sotozono scoring System, which depended on the extent of cornea, conjunctiva and lid involvement. Tear osmolarity was also measured.

RESULTS

A total of 18 SJS and 4 TEN cases with an average of 92 and 135 months from disease onset were included. The average age of onset was 46.4 ± 16.6 in SJS and 43.5 ± 19.3 in TEN patients. The LogMAR visual acuity was 0.209 ± 0.591 in SJS and 0.489 ± 0.688 in TEN patients (p = 0.048). The average total Sotozono score was 3.75 ± 7.32 in SJS and 6.88 ± 9.49 in TEN (p = 0.358). Neither the age of onset (p = 0.787), length of follow-up (p = 0.256) nor disease type (SJS vs TEN, p = 0.188) predicted the Sotozono score. There was a statistically significant correlation between Sotozono score and LogMAR VA (r _s = 0.437, p = 0.003).

CONCLUSION

The average total Sotozono score was higher in the TEN group than in the SJS group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Nevertheless, the score correlated with the visual acuity which was statistically worse in the TEN group.

The Effect of Intravenous Immunoglobulin Combined with Corticosteroid on the Progression of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Meta-Analysis

Background

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment is commonly used to treat Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) with controversial therapeutic effect.

Methods

We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis through combining the published eligible studies to evaluate the effectiveness of IVIG on SJS and TEN treatment.

Results

A total of 26 studies were selected from public available databases. The combination of IVIG and corticosteroid markedly reduced the recovery time (by 1.63 days, 95% CI: 0.83–2.43, P < 0.001), compared with solo corticosteroid group. The favorable effects were greater in Asian (2.19, 95% CI: 1.41–2.97, P < 0.001), TEN (2.56, 95% CI: 0.35–4.77, P = 0.023) and high-dose IVIG treated individuals (1.78, 95% CI: 0.42–3.14, P = 0.010). The hospitalization length reduced by 3.19 days (95% CI: 0.08–6.30, P = 0.045), though the outcome was proven to be unstable. We found heterogeneities, which sources were probably regional factors. Besides, IVIG was inclined to decrease SJS/TEN mortality (SMR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.66–1.08, P = 0.178). This impact was possibly more profound when patients were treated with high dose IVIG (SMR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.50–1.08, P = 0.116), or when patients were diagnosed as TEN (SMR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.45–1.01, P = 0.058).

Conclusions

Our current meta-analysis suggests that IVIG combined with corticosteroid could reduce recovery time for SJS and TEN. This effect is greater among Asian patients. Whereas, its impact on reducing mortality is not significant.