Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome and gynecomastia in an...

Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) are antiretroviral drugs often used in the first-line treatment regimen of HIV1 infection worldwide. We report a case of successive gynecomastia and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) respectively induced by efavirenz and nevirapine in a single patient.

A 16-year-old boy, HIV1-infected since birth, was started on antiretroviral treatment (ART) in August 2015 and was taking a regimen comprising abacavir, lamivudine and efavirenz. In April 2016, when his weight reached 35kg, abacavir was replaced with tenofovir. Bilateral breast enlargement, previously hidden by the patient, was diagnosed two years after the start of ART. History-taking, physical examination and laboratory tests ruled out known causes of gynecomastia, and efavirenz was thus considered the most likely cause. This drug was then withdrawn and replaced with nevirapine in July 2017. Thirty-three days after the patient started nevirapine treatment, a skin rash appeared. Physical examination revealed erythematous macules and flaccid bullae with estimated skin detachment of 10%. There were also conjunctival, buccal and genital lesions. A diagnosis was made of SJS induced by nevirapine. Three months after withdrawal of efavirenz, breast size decreased by 3cm on the left breast and 2cm on the right breast; two months after the SJS, cutaneous sequelae alone persisted, such as diffuse hyperchromic macules.

Recognition of gynecomastia as a side-effect of efavirenz is important to allow the condition to be treated while it is still potentially reversible. Moreover, when efavirenz is replaced, a protease inhibitor should be preferred to nevirapine.