Although incidences of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are lower in children than in adults, the increased costs, lengths of stay, and mortality still pose a substantial health burden, said Derek Y. Hsu, of Northwestern University, Chicago, and his associates.
Using data from the 2009-2012 Nationwide Inpatient Sample of 1,687,172 pediatric admissions, “estimated frequencies per million children ranged from 4.3 to 5.8 for SJS, 0.6 to 1.4 for SJS/TEN, and 0 to 0.7 for TEN,” the study researchers reported. In adults, those numbers are 9.3, 1.9, and 1.6 per million adults per year, according to a 2016 study by the authors (J Invest Dermatol. 2016 Jul;136[7]:1387-97).
Pediatric SJS, SJS/TEN, and TEN mean hospital costs were $24,947, $63,787, and $102,243, respectively, compared with $10,496 for the control group.
The mean length of stay for patients with SJS, SJS/TEN, and TEN was 9.4 days, 15.7 days, and 20.4 days, compared with 4.6 days in children without these disorders, respectively, and they most often were discharged to their home or to other self-care.
“One in 10 children with SJS, SJS/TEN, and TEN underwent mechanical ventilation,” Mr. Hsu and his associates reported.
Mortality was 0% for SJS, 4% for SJS/TEN, and 16% for TEN.
Read more at the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2017 May;76[5]:811-7).