BackgroundAdverse drug reactions are harmful and involuntary responses to drugs that occur at doses normally used for a given condition. Among them are Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, both rare and potentially fatal conditions.ObjectivesTo analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics related to patients diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in public hospitals in the Federal District - Brazil.MethodsRetrospective, cross-sectional and descriptive study, in which data were collected referring to patients hospitalized in the public healthcare system of the Federal District from 1999 to 2014. Results: Between 1999 and 2014, 86 cases of hospitalized patients with diagnosis of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in the Federal District were reported. The majority of patients were women; the most affected age group was 0 to 10 years. Patients older than 60 years (elderly) represent 6.98% of the cases. Most patients admitted to the referral hospital were discharged. However, occurrence of deaths exceeded that of discharge in elderly patients.Limitations of the studyThere is fragility in the registry of hospitalization of patients, both in the hospital information system and in the medical records of the reference hospital.ConclusionThere is a need for greater production and better dissemination of information on the incidence of adverse drug reactions.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are adverse drug reactions.They occur in the form of mild and sometimes severe cutaneous eruptions, with high morbidity and mortality, requiring fast and appropriate diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to describe and discuss the evidence regarding the risk factors, complications and treatment of SJS and TEN in inpatients. The present study is a literature review of case reports published between January 1981 and December 2016, in the following databases: The Virtual Health Library (Biblioteca Virtual da Saúde -BVS), MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine, USA), LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature), and PUBMED -NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information). A total of thirteen case reports were selected. Most of the cases (54%) developed adverse reactions to anticonvulsant drugs. The most common were valproic acid, lamotrigine and carbamazepine. In 69% of all cases, the patients were female. The patients' age range varied from 18 to 82 years old. In two cases which correspond to 15%, the patients were either infected with HIV or were receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer. These patients had a higher possibility for immunosuppression. In relation to the actions taken as treatment, the suspension of the drugs or the treatment of the skin lesions occurred in 85 and 54% of the cases, respectively. A total of 6 cases, corresponding to 46%, occurred in the Latin American and Caribbean region. In conclusion, the use of anticonvulsants, and female gender, are among the main risk factors identified by the study. The main therapeutic action for SJS and TEN is the suspension of the use of the drug that triggered the inflammatory process and the topical treatment of the lesions caused.