Scientists Discover Way to Warn of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

Liverpool, UKBritish and Irish scientists have reportedly discovered a way to warn patients if they will suffer adverse reactions—such as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome—after taking epilepsy treatments, the Irish Times reports.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">According to the news provider, the researchers, from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the University of Liverpool, identified a "biomarker" for patients who were more likely to experience side effects of the medications.

"It is a test that identifies people who are at high risk of having a nasty reaction to a particular drug used in the treatment of epilepsy," said Dr. Gianpiero Cavalleri, the leader of the Irish group conducting the research.

Cavalleri added that approximately one in 20 patients will have a negative reaction to carbamazepine, which is one of the most common epilepsy treatments in the world.

Some patients suffering the side effects of such medications can develop Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, which is a skin disorder that could take between two and six weeks to treat, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.