Effectiveness of Corticosteroids Alone versus Corticosteroids and Cyclosporine in the Management of Patients with Severe Cutaneous Drug Reaction

Introduction: Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions (SCADRs) are emergency dermatologic manifestations associated with high morbidity and mortality. Their management includes immediate withdrawal of suspected causal agent followed by prompt management with drugs such as corticosteroids, cyclosporine and cyclophosphamide.

Aim: To compare the effectiveness of corticosteroids alone versus cyclosporine and corticosteroids in management of SCADRs.

Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observational study carried out in Indoor patients of Dermatology Department, Civil Hospital Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, from October 2019 to September 2022. Twenty six patients were diagnosed with SCADRs and grouped according to the treatment received in two groups: corticosteroids alone (group B), and corticosteroids along with cyclosporine (group A). The efficacy was assessed based on: the days of disease arrest, days of complete re-epithelialisation, duration of hospitalisation and final outcome. To know the prognosis of the patients, Score of Toxic Epidermal Necrosis (SCORTEN) score was used. Data was entered and analysed with the help of Microsoft excel ® 2019.

Results: There were 14 patients in group A and 12 in group B. In a total 26 cases majority were of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) (50%) followed by SJS-Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) (27%) TEN (15%), Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptom (DRESS) (8%). The mean duration of disease arrest was significantly shorter in group A (n=14) when compared to group B (n=12) (p-value <0.001**). Also, the time for complete re-epithelisation was significantly shorter in group A than group B (p-value=0.025*). While no significant difference between the two groups was observed in SCORTEN score. Mortality was 3/12 in group B, nil in group A.

Conclusion: Combination therapy with corticosteroids and cyclosporine leads to an early arrest of the disease progression, better prognosis and outcome in patients of SCADRs