- Leanne Howes took 150mg dose of Zantac Ranitidine to treat her IBS
- But shortly afterwards a rash and large blisters spread across her body
- Given 10% chance of survival after developing Stevens-Johnson syndrome
- Lost most of her face and parts of her chest, arms and back fell away
- Her hair, nails, eyelashes and eyebrows fell out and weight fell to 5st 10lbs
- Says: 'I looked like a monster from a Halloween movie - I'm lucky to be alive'
A teenage girl suffered a horrific allergic reaction to heartburn tablets that left her skin falling off 'in chunks'.
Leanne Howes, 17, was given just 10 per cent chance of survival after suffering a one-in-a-million allergic reaction to widely available Zantac tablets.
The potentially fatal condition - Stevens-Johnson syndrome - gripped her entire body, causing her skin to burn up, scab over and fall off.
Leanne Howes, 17, was given just 10 per cent chance of survival after suffering a one-in-a-million allergic reaction to Zantac heartburn tablets
The trainee hairdresser took a 150mg dose of Zantac Ranitidine prescribed by her doctor to treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
The illness left her in hospital for weeks while it ran its devastating course.
Zantac Ranitidine is available in tablet, injection and syrup form. It is widely available to buy off the shelf in supermarkets and chemists across the UK.
Miss Howes' nightmare began in September 2013 when she suddenly fell ill.
Initially, she believed she was suffering from heat rash, but became worried as an itchy, red rash spread across her entire body and her skin broke out in blisters the size of tennis balls.
Miss Howes developed the potentially fatal condition Stevens-Johnson syndrome. The condition gripped her entire body, causing her skin to burn up, scab over and fall off
Miss Howes had initially believed she was suffering from heat rash, but was horrified as an itchy, red rash spread across her entire body and her skin broke out in blisters the size of tennis balls
'Once I got home, I was fine, but when I woke up the next morning, I was tired and nauseous.
'And then when I looked in the mirror, I saw that I had a terrible rash.'
Worried, Miss Howes and her boyfriend, car salesman Jake Round, 25, drove to her mother's house, where her condition rapidly worsened.
WHAT IS STEVENS JOHNSON SYNDROME?
Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a severe adverse reaction to a medication. It was named after two U.S paediatricians who described it in 1922.
It affects around two people per million and is more common among women.
Symptoms include skin rashes, blisters in the mouth, ears and nose and swelling of the eyelids.
If left untreated the condition can result in death. Possible complications include permanent blindness and lung damage.
Once diagnosed doctors will immediately stop the patient taking the offending drug.
Treatment includes IV fluids and high calorie formulas to promote healing.
Antibiotics are given when necessary to prevent secondary infections such as sepsis.
Pain medications such as morphine can make the patient more comfortable.
It affects around two people per million and is more common among women.
Symptoms include skin rashes, blisters in the mouth, ears and nose and swelling of the eyelids.
If left untreated the condition can result in death. Possible complications include permanent blindness and lung damage.
Once diagnosed doctors will immediately stop the patient taking the offending drug.
Treatment includes IV fluids and high calorie formulas to promote healing.
Antibiotics are given when necessary to prevent secondary infections such as sepsis.
Pain medications such as morphine can make the patient more comfortable.
With blisters covering the soles of her feet, Miss Howes was forced to crawl to the bathroom and attempt to call for help.
Her terrified mother, retail manager Amanda Corley, 38, found her lying on the bathroom floor and the teenager was rushed to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
Doctors immediately gave her morphine and applied soothing cream to her face and chest.
But her skin began to fall off on a doctor's fingertips as he examined her.
Over the next few days, she lost most of the surface of her face.
Parts of her chest, arms, back and stomach also fell away.
Miss Howes said: 'I thought I was going to die.
'I couldn't move, and my face was so swollen that my eyes had fused shut.
'Everywhere was itching, and my skin was weeping a thick, yellow pus.
'I had agonising blisters the size of tennis balls, and was slipping in and out of consciousness.
'When I came round the next day, my mum told me that doctors had said if I got through the night, it would be a miracle. I was just so happy to be alive.'
Once it strikes, there is no way to stop Stevens-Johnson syndrome, so Miss Howes had to fight for her life as the condition ran its course.
Sufferers are treated in the same way as burns victims and are given pain relief and fluid replacement. Doctors worked around the clock to make her skin function normally again.
She spent the next four weeks on a morphine drip in hospital, unable to walk or talk properly. She was so weak that she had to use a wheelchair.
Her hair, nails, eyelashes and eyebrows fell out and at 5ft tall, her weight plummeted from 7st to a dangerous 5st 10lbs.
Miss Howes spent the next four weeks on a morphine drip in hospital, unable to walk or talk properly. Her hair, nails, eyelashes and eyebrows fell out and at 5ft tall, her weight plummeted from 7st to a dangerous 5st 10lbs
Her mother, Amanda, and boyfriend Jake took it in turns to stay by her bedside as she recovered.
Miss Howes was finally discharged in October 2013, but back at home she was forced to come to terms with her new appearance.
She said: 'I'd always been proud of the way I looked.
Miss Howes with her grandfather, Lesley before the allergic reaction. She said: 'I now realise how lucky I am to be alive'
'Losing my hair, eyelashes and nails was devastating, but Jake tells me that I am beautiful all of the time, which really helps.
'When I look back at the pictures of me in hospital I can't believe it's me. I look like a monster from a Halloween movie.
'I now realise how lucky I am to be alive.'
Leanne Howes with her mother Amanda, having recovered from the horrific allergic reaction
Today Miss Howes suffers from dry, bumpy skin and has to take eye drops twice a day as the condition scarred her tear ducts, leaving her with watery eyes
Today Miss Howes suffers from dry, bumpy skin and has to take eye drops twice a day as the condition scarred her tear ducts, leaving her with watery eyes.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome is incurable and 40 per cent of people who contract the condition do not survive.
Doctors say it is likely that Miss Howes will have another severe reaction if she ever takes Ranitidine again.
The terrifying incident has left Miss Howes (pictured with boyfriend Jake, mother Amanda and her boyfriend) too frightened to take other medication such as paracetamol in fear of another reaction
She said: 'I'm absolutely terrified to take any more medication now.
'I'm so scared it will happen again and I might not be as lucky.'
Dr Clive Grattan, an expert Dermatology consultant at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, said: 'At its worst, the condition can be lethal. And the reaction is often completely unexpected.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome is an extremely rare condition - around one in a million people will experience this kind of reaction.
Doctors say it's likely that Miss Howes will have another severe reaction if she ever takes Ranitidine again
A spokesperson for GSK Pharmaceuticals which produces Zantac said: 'We deeply sympathise with anyone suffering from SJS.
'We are committed to the highest standards of patient safety, and as such take reports of side effects very seriously. We have a robust and ongoing safety monitoring system for all of our medicines.
'If a patient has concerns or experiences side effects relating to any medicines, they should talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse as soon as possible.'
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