Proportion of Antiepileptic Drug-Associated Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Meta-Analysis.

Authors

Erika Yue Lee, Christopher Knox, Cinthiya Sugumar, Elizabeth Jane Phillips

Published in

JAMA dermatology. Jul 22, 2026. Epub Jul 22, 2026.

Abstract

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are frequently implicated in Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), which are the most severe type of drug hypersensitivity reaction, with a mortality rate up to 50%. However, the overall proportion of these cases attributed to AEDs has not been systematically reviewed.
To evaluate the proportion of AED-associated SJS/TEN.
The MEDLINE and Embase databases were searched from inception through March 17, 2026, with results limited to English-language publications and human participants.
All experimental and observational studies that reported patient-level triggers of SJS/TEN were included.
Two reviewers independently screened studies and extracted data using a predefined template. To estimate the proportion of AED-associated SJS/TEN, a random-effects meta-analysis was performed, calculating the pooled proportions with 95% CIs. Subgroup analyses by age group (children vs adults) and geographic region were performed to explore heterogeneity.
To estimate the proportion of AED-associated SJS/TEN.
This systematic review and meta-analysis included 50 studies with 4403 patients that reported patient-level triggers of SJS/TEN. Single-drug triggers accounted for 88% (95% CI, 83-92) of cases. The pooled proportion of SJS/TEN cases attributed to AEDs was 23% (95% CI, 19-26). Nearly all AED-associated cases were due to aromatic AEDs (96%; 95% CI, 92-99), most commonly carbamazepine (39%; 95% CI, 29-50), followed by phenytoin (19%; 95% CI, 11-28), and lamotrigine (15%; 95% CI, 8-22). Nonaromatic AEDs were rarely implicated (2%; 95% CI, 0-4). Significant geographic variation was observed in the proportion of AED-associated SJS/TEN, ranging from 42% (95% CI, 26-59) in West Asia to 10% (95% CI, 0-33) in Africa (P < .001). The proportion of AED-associated SJS/TEN cases was significantly higher in children (35%; 95% CI, 22-48) than in adults (23%; 95% CI, 20-27).
In this systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies, AEDs accounted for nearly one-quarter of SJS/TEN cases reported worldwide, predominantly involving aromatic AEDs, such as carbamazepine, phenytoin, and lamotrigine. These findings suggest aromatic AEDs as leading contributors to SJS/TEN and support the preferential use of nonaromatic AEDs when clinically appropriate.

PMID:
42485011
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Jul 2026.

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