A woman taking ibuprofen for her flu-like symptoms suffered a horrific reaction that caused red and swollen eyes and snake-like scales on her face.
The 45-year-old patient had taken the over-the-counter painkiller several hours earlier – and also had a strange yellow crust on her lips and severe swelling of her face.
She was rushed to hospital in Iraq and diagnosed with an extremely rare serious side effect to ibuprofen called Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
This happens when the immune system overreacts to a trigger, such as a drug, causing high levels of inflammation and attacking the body’s own cells, including those in the skin, causing blisters and swelling.
Doctors said she suffered from an extremely rare serious side effect to ibuprofen, caused by the immune system causing high levels of inflammation.
The patient was sent to intensive care, where she had a tube down her throat to administer fluids, an IV drip and a course of antibiotics prescribed.
Doctors kept her in the ward for seven days until the swelling started to subside and no new rash developed.
She had never experienced the reaction to ibuprofen before and it was unclear whether the woman – who had no underlying diseases – had experienced any long-term effects from the reaction.
The rare case reveal in Clinical case reportsthe doctors said: ‘Ibuprofen… has long been a staple in pain relief and inflammation control.
‘However, behind its everyday presence in medicine cabinets lies a potential danger that, although rare, requires our attention and understanding.’
They added: ‘Although ibuprofen is generally safe, the rare occurrence of serious reactions such as SJS should serve as a reminder that no medication is completely without risk.’
Rashes also developed over the patient’s extremities, as shown above. Tests showed that the outer layer of her skin, which contains billions of healthy cells, had also become loose
The woman, 45, was rushed to intensive care in Iraq after suffering these symptoms after taking ibuprofen
Americans take an estimated 30 billion doses of over-the-counter painkillers or prescription painkillers such as ibuprofen each year, with the vast majority experiencing no reactions.
Only in extremely rare cases are serious reactions such as SJS recorded – with 847 cases in the US linked to ibuprofen since 2004.
Patients are often hospitalized and in some cases can die from the disease.
In response, the immune system causes high levels of inflammation against ibuprofen, wrongly perceiving it as a threat.
This can cause problems in the outer skin, which contains billions of healthy cells and many blood vessels, causing the outer layer to loosen in certain areas.
The woman told doctors that she had taken two 400 mg ibuprofen tablets before the reaction.
Tests of her internal organs, such as her lungs and heart, showed that they were all functioning normally.
But a sample of her skin showed that the outer layer had separated from the body, leading to the diagnosis.
Doctors also recorded signs of necrosis, or when healthy cells begin to die due to a disruption in blood supply.
The woman also had no underlying illnesses, did not smoke or consume alcohol.
She was treated by doctors at Al Nasiriyah Teaching Hospital in Thi Qar, southern Iraq.