[Lyell's syndrome and ectodermosis pluriorificialis during treatment with oxicams: 11 cases]

Piroxicam (Feldene) and isoxicam (Vectren) form a part of a new family of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) highly used in France: the oxicams. The cutaneous accidents of all kinds are frequent, estimated from 1 to 3 p. 100 of the patients with piroxicam (16, 20). In addition to the maculo-papular eruptions, there has been reported: lichenoid eruption (21), erythroderma (7), purpuric vasculitis (1, 10, 21), pemphigus (12, 14), bullous dermatosis difficult to classify (15), erythema multiforme and Stevens-Johnson's syndrome (3, 6, 7, 9, 13, 21, 23) and at last many photosensitization accidents (3, 8, 11, 19, 20, 21). We report 11 observations of Lyell's syndrome (8 cases) or Stevens-Johnson's syndrome (3 cases) occurred during treatments by isoxicam or piroxicam. Eight women and 3 men aged from 35 to 80 years begin a Lyell's syndrome or a Stevens-Johnson's syndrome after 9 to 45 days (at an average of 16 days) of a treatment by isoxicam (6 cases) or piroxicam (5 cases). Five patients attacked by a Lyell's syndrome are intubated and ventilated and 2 patients die of a septic shock at the ninth and the thirteenth day of evolution: the duration of hospitalization is from 11 days to 3 and a half months for the Lyell's syndromes survivors and from 7 to 19 days in the cases of Stevens-Johnson's syndrome: 7 surviving patients have ocular sequelae with in 2 cases a complete or partial blindness. A slight hepatic cytolysis is observed 5 times and a neutropenia mainly as a lymphopenia 4 times. In 2 observations, the CMV serology is positive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)