This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Go to /pro/cpd-dashboard page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. CPD dashboard

Go to /account/subscription-details page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. Upgrade to Pro

Clinical features

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

There is a characteristic prodromal period lasting between 1-14 days where patients may present with influenza-like symptoms, such as fever, malaise, rhinitis, cough, pharyngitis, and arthalgia. This is followed by widespread erythemas which develop into flaccid blisters and bullae

  • these bullae are combined together to form large bullae and later large sheets of epidermis are sloughed off giving the scalded appearance to the skin
  • Nikolsky's sign can be seen in TEN (sloughing off of the epithelium during a mild shearing force even when the skin appears normal)

Mucous membrane involvement which is present 1-3 days before the skin lesions can be seen in the oropharynx, eyes, genital tract, and in the anus.

The internal mucosa of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract may be involved too.

Severe occular involvement is one of the common and perhaps the most serious complication of TEN

  • conjunctivitis, vesiculation, corneal ulceration and scarring, uveitis, synchiae, and pseudomembrane formation can be seen which will eventually lead to blindness

Sloughing of epidermal skin in TEN will result in "acute skin failure".

  • the normal protective functions are compromised leading to electrolyte and fluid loss, reduced thermoregulation and an increased susceptibility to infection (1).

Reference:


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.