Stevens-Johnson syndrome induced by carbamazepine.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a mucocutaneous disorder induced by an immune-complex-mediated hypersensitivity reaction. Nearly half of cases are caused by a reaction to drugs or appear during viral infections and malignancies. A very few cases are caused by a bacterial infection (Streptococcus) or Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Graft versus host disease is another well-established cause, independent of drugs. No specific etiology has been identified in up to half of cases. We report a 54-year-old man with SJS induced by carbamazepine. Reported patient had prodromal symptoms like fever, headache and polyarthralgia, which preceded mucocutaneous lesions by 3 days. Physical examination on admission, revealed asthenic male with a temperature of 37.2 degrees C and generalized dermatitis with positive Nikolsky sign, large erosions of the palms and soles, onychomadesis, numerous oral and vermilion border of the lips erosions. The patient was administered systemic steroidotherapy and carbamazepine dose was gradually decreased and finally replaced with valproic acid and valproate sodium. During the hospitalization, temperature normalized and the skin lesions disappeared after 3 weeks of treatment.

[Blood coagulation parameters in patients with lichen planus]. / Wybrane parametry ukladu krzepniecia krwi u chorych na liszaj plaski.

The aim of this study was to evaluate some blood parameters of coagulation process in blood plasma of patients suffering from lichen planus. The study group consisted of 23 patients--14 women and 9 men, aged 33-75 years. Control group contained 30-age matched healthy persons. In blood of plasma the following parameters were determined: activity of antithrombin III (AT III) and concentration of prothrombin fragments 1+2 (F1+2), complexes thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT). In blood plasma of patients with lichen planus the concentration of F1+2 was significantly higher than in healthy persons. Increased concentration of F1+2 indicated intensive thrombinogenesis in vivo in patients with lichen planus.

[Plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin complexes in blood of patient with lichen planus against the background of other fibrinolysis parameters]. / Kompleksy plazmina-alpha 2-antyplazmina na tle wybranych parametrów fibrynolizy we krwi chorych na liszaj plaski.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate fibrinolysis in patients with lichen planus. In blood of 20 patients (12 women, 8 men) the levels of tissue type plasminogen activator (t-PA), plasmin-antiplasmin complexes (PAP) and D-dimer were examined. The control group consisted of 37 healthy volunteers. The concentrations of t-PA, PAP and D-dimer were higher in patients with lichen planus in comparison with the control group. It seems that increased level of t-PA antigen in the blood of the patients with lichen planus was the effect of t-PA releasing from endothelial cells. The results of the present study suggest that increased concentrations of t-PA antigen, PAP and D-dimer were the evidence of higher activity of fibrinolysis system in subjects with lichen planus.

Levels of F(1+2) prothrombin fragments and thrombin - antithrombin III (TAT) complexes in patients with dermatitis herpetiformis.

BACKGROUND: Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a rare bullous disease of autoimmune etiology. It is an intestinocutaneous syndrome, in which vesicopapular cutaneous lesions are accompanied by gluten-dependent enteropathy. The diagnosis of DH is based on immunopathological investigation of unaffected skin fragment (granular IgA deposits present at the tops of dermal papillae and IgA - EmA present in the serum). MATERIAL/METHODS: The studied group consisted of 33 patients with dermatitis herpetiformis - 23 males and 10 females aged 22-78 (mean age 44.7). In all the patients, the following parameters of blood coagulation systems were determined in the plasma Levels of prothrombin fragments 1+2 (F(1+2)), levels of thrombin - antithrombin III (TAT) complexes, antithrombin III activity (AT III). RESULTS: In patients with dermatitis herpetiformis, the main level of F(1+2) fragments amounted to 9.08 nmol/l, as compared with 1.14 nmol/l in the control group (the difference statistically significant, p<0.0001). In DH patients, the levels of TAT complexes were over twice higher than among the controls and that difference also reached statistical significance (p<0.0001). Mean antithrombin III activity (AT III) in patients with DH reached 102.60% and was similar to that observed in the control group (104.68%). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with dermatitis herpetiformis, increased levels of F(1+2) prothrombin fragments and TAT complexes indicate enhanced in vivo thrombinogenesis. No statistically significant differences of F(1+2), TAT and AT III levels in DH patients related to their sex, age and duration of the disease were observed.

Selected parameters of fibrinolysis system in patients with dermatitis herpetiformis.

BACKGROUND: Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a very rare bullous dermatitis of autoimmune origin. It is a syndrome involving dermal and intestinal pathology, in which vesicopapular skin lesions are accompanied by gluten-dependent enteropathy. The diagnosis of DH is based on immunopathological investigation of unaffected skin bioptate (presence of granular IgA deposits in the upper portions of dermal papillae). MATERIAL/METHODS: The study was carried out in a group of 33 patients, including 23 males and 10 females aged 22-78 (mean age 44.7 years). The following fibrinolysis system parameters were determined in the sera of all patients: tissue plasminogen activator concentration (t-PA: Ag), urokinase plasminogen activator concentration (u-PA: Ag), plasminogen activator inhibitor concentration (PAI-Ag), plasminogen level, alpha-2 antiplasmin activity (alpha-2-AP), plasmin-- alpha-2 antiplasmin complexes concentration (PAP). RESULTS: Mean t-PA concentration in DH patients was 5.52 ng/ml, vs. 4.8 ng/ml in controls. The respective u-PA concentrations amounted to 0.33 ng/ml, and 0.39 ng/ml. PAI-1 concentration was markedly higher in DH patients (36.2 ng/ml) than in controls (22.40 ng/ml), whereas plasminogen level was significantly lower (86.0% vs. 115.9%). In patients, alpha-2-AP activity was 92% and was lower than in controls -103.4%. DH patients demonstrated also higher concentrations of PAP complexes (327.45 ng/ml) than the control group (203.03 ng/ml). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with DH were found to have lower plasminogen and alpha-2 antiplasmin levels and increased concentrations of PAP complexes, which indicates increased plasminogenesis in vivo. Increased type 1 plasminogen activator inhibitor level (PAI-1) may reflect a chronic inflammatory condition present in DH patients.