Abstract
Stevens-Johnson syndrome（SJS）and toxic epidermal necrolysis（TEN）are rare and life-threatening cutaneous adverse drug reactions with high mortality rates. While there is no established therapy for SJS/TEN, systemic corticosteroids, plasma exchange, and intravenous immunoglobulins（IVIG）have all been used to treat the condition. The inhibition of the activities of a variety of inflammatory cells and the products released by these activated cells is likely to be the major mechanism of efficacy of IVIG against SJS/TEN. Although the utility of IVIG for treating SJS/TEN is still controversial in SJS/TEN, this might be due to differences in the doses of IVIG administered and/or the timing of their administration, or the insufficient suppression of inflammation. Recently, clinical studies conducted in Japan and other countries have shown that IVIG are effective against early stage SJS/TEN when used together with steroids. Therefore, the administration of IVIG together with steroids should be considered as a treatment for patients with refractory SJS/TEN. Although the severity and rarity of SJS/TEN make it difficult to assess the efficacy of novel treatments in large clinical randomized controlled trials, further studies are needed to determine the therapeutic efficacy of IVIG.
