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Erythema Multiforme
Medical Questions » Erythema Multiforme
| Name: Erythema Multiforme |
| Also known as: |
| Acute inflammation (redness) of the skin and moist (mucus) membranes lining body cavities. Name can be loosely translated as ' red spots of many shapes' . |
Causes of Erythema Multiforme
May be triggered by drugs, bacterial or viral infections, cold sores and other Herpes infections, or may appear for no apparent reason. 75% occur after a Herpes or cold sore infection, and half of the remainder are caused by drugs — particularly sulpha antibiotics. Attacks caused by cold sores and other infections tend to be mild, but those that occur as a result of drug sensitivity can be very severe. |
Symptoms of Erythema Multiforme
Sudden development of several types of rash simultaneously. The easiest rash to identify appears as multiple red, sore rings on the skin with a pale centre that vary in diameter from a few millimetres to 2 or 3cm. Other forms include red patches, swollen lumps, fluid-filled blisters, itchy red stripes, and painful hard dome-shaped bumps. The insides of the mouth and the vagina, and the eye surface, may be involved with ulcers developing in some cases. Rash may occur anywhere, but is more common on the front of the leg, over the shoulders, above and below the elbow on the outside of the arm, and on the soles and palms. Most patients have only a mild fever, but those severely affected may be acutely ill with a very high fever and generalized weakness. |
Tests for Erythema Multiforme
No blood or other tests can confirm the diagnosis. |
Treatment for Erythema Multiforme
If a drug is suspected as the cause, it is immediately ceased. If an infection is thought responsible, this is treated appropriately. Discomfort minimized with pain-killers such as paracetamol and aspirin, and with creams, lotions and dressings to ease the skin irritation. Steroid tablets taken in severe cases.
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Complications of Erythema Multiforme of its treatment
Stevens-Johnson syndrome (see separate entry). |
Likely Outcome of Erythema Multiforme
No cure, but the vast majority of cases are mild and settle in two to four weeks. Severe cases may persist for up to six weeks, and in rare cases, with lung involvement (Stevens-Johnson syndrome) in the elderly or chronically ill, death may occur. Recurrent attacks are quite common. |
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