Especially dangerous allergies: how to prevent toxic necrolysis

All allergies cause suffering to the patient, but one of its types is especially hard to endure. We are talking about toxic epidermal necrolysis, or Lyell's syndrome  – an allergic reaction of the body & nbsp; to certain drugs. The peculiarity of toxic necrolysis is that this disease develops very rapidly, with a very rapid defeat of all organs by allergic toxins. and fabrics, but above all – skin. If you start intensive therapy as early as possible, at the first manifestations of toxic necrosis – then a full recovery occurs, in case of failure to provide timely assistance, the prognosis of the disease is unfavorable.

Reasons for which toxic necrolysis may develop

Toxic necrolysis, or Lyell's syndrome, is an abnormal reaction of the body to drugs. First on the list of possible allergens that cause toxic necrolysis, & nbsp; sulfonamides appear. This is followed by antibiotics of different groups, anti-inflammatory and anticonvulsant, painkillers. Today, such an allergic reaction is recorded even in response to vitamins and dietary supplements, antitetanus serum and other similar drugs.

The essence of toxic necrolysis is that when a drug enters the body, the processes of metabolism and the neutralization of harmful metabolic products are disrupted. The medicine attaches to itself a protein from the composition of the epidermis, and the body perceives the newly created protein association as a foreign object and gives an immune response. The rejection reaction is similar to that which develops in response to a foreign graft, but in this particular case, the patient's own skin begins to act as a foreign object. At the same time, the breakdown of the formed protein substances becomes very fast and uncontrolled, the decay products accumulate in the body, exerting a toxic effect on all systems and organs. Toxic damage to the body is manifested, among other things, by detachment of the epidermis and its necrosis.

With the further development of toxic necrolysis in the body, the water balance, the regulation of the metabolism of salts and minerals are disturbed. All these processes sharply worsen the patient's condition and can lead to his death. As a rule, all patients who develop toxic necrolysis have a history of some kind of allergic reactions that have occurred previously from taking certain drugs. Of course, an important role is played by hereditary predisposition, individual characteristics of the organism – which consist in increased allergic sensitivity.

Features of the course of toxic necrosis and its symptoms

The symptoms of toxic necrosis, or Lyell's syndrome, develop very quickly – for days or even hours with  the moment a patient takes a drug that causes an allergy. First, the temperature rises to very high values, and for no apparent reason. Further, rashes appear on the skin – at first in the form of abundant large spots with small swollen areas, then the spots spread, merge, turn into large blisters with flabby and easily torn skin. After a very short time, the patient looks like a victim of a second-degree burn, the skin on the fingers and toes can peel off, on the body the skin is very painful when touched and may be covered with small hemorrhages.

The mucous membranes also suffer, with toxic necrosis, not only the mucous membranes in the mouth bleed, but also on the lips and in other areas, including internal organs. The general condition of the patient deteriorates sharply and rapidly, which is largely due to dehydration. The addition of a secondary bacterial infection can be extremely unfavorable, significantly worsening the prognosis of the disease.

Importance of proper diagnosis and treatment of toxic necrosis

Today, the level of available therapeutic measures and drugs allows us to provide proper assistance to patients with toxic necrosis, avoiding fatal outcomes, but for this, assistance must be timely and adequate. It is very important to immediately ask the patient about the possible causes of the disease – find out which drug caused the development of an allergic reaction, so that in the course of therapy it is not used and does not cause a deterioration in the condition.

At the first signs of toxic necrosis, you must:

• stop taking the allergenic drug and refer the patient to the intensive care unit. One of the most effective – extracorporeal hemosorption. It is especially effective in the first two days of the disease – after 2-3 sessions, almost complete recovery can occur. If three days have already passed – twice as many procedures will be needed. Effective in the early stages of plasmapheresis, which removes toxins and normalizes the body's immune response.
• start therapy as soon as possible aimed at normalizing the water-salt balance, administer drugs that inhibit the work of enzymes that destroy tissues. It is obligatory to take adrenal cortex hormones, and to start with high doses, gradually reducing them. Recommended drugs that support the functioning of the liver and kidneys.

A preventive measure against the development of toxic necrosis should be the patient's knowledge that with a tendency to allergies, in particular to drugs, it is absolutely impossible to self-medicate and take any medications without permission.