Stevens-Johnson syndrome during anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy in HIV-seropositive patients: report on six cases

Hypersensitivity reactions may occur during antituberculous chemotherapy. Severe reactions are rare, and in the three years 1983-86 during which we have both worked in Africa managing large numbers of patients with tuberculosis we only saw one or two cases with severe and generalised cutaneous hypersensitivity. In the last 12 months, however, there have been a number of cases with severe Stevens-Johnson syndrome which developed during antituberculous chemotherapy and has invariably been associated with seropositivity to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).