While taking Carbamazepine, serious skin reactions reported as blisters over the skin are known as?

Appeared in: NIMHANS Nursing Officer - 2021

Explanation

Carbamazepine, an anticonvulsant, is known to cause rare but life-threatening dermatologic syndromes.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a severe mucocutaneous reaction characterized by a painful, blistering rash and mucosal erosions.
The condition often starts with flu-like symptoms before the rash appears, and it is considered a medical emergency requiring immediate drug cessation and hospitalization.
The image provided shows classic signs of SJS, including widespread erythema and epidermal detachment.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: Nystagmus is a neurological side effect involving involuntary eye movements, often associated with Carbamazepine toxicity, but it is not a skin reaction.
Option B: Depressive syndrome is a psychiatric or mood-related side effect and does not manifest as a blistering skin condition.
Option D: Hostility syndrome is a behavioral side effect. It does not involve any dermatological manifestations like blisters.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Adverse drug reactions to Carbamazepine as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Recognizing the early signs of SJS (fever, sore throat, rash) in a patient taking Carbamazepine is a critical nursing responsibility to prevent progression to a life-threatening state.
Immediate withdrawal of the suspected drug is the single most important intervention to improve prognosis.
Patient education is vital. Patients must be taught to report any new rash immediately and understand that they should never take the drug again.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key terms in the question: the drug 'Carbamazepine' and the symptom 'serious skin reactions with blisters'.
This is a knowledge-based question requiring you to recall the specific adverse effects of a medication.
Evaluate each option against the description of a blistering skin reaction.
Option A (Nystagmus) is a neurological sign.
Option B (Depressive syndrome) and D (Hostility syndrome) are psychiatric/behavioral effects.
Option C (Stevens-Johnson syndrome) is a well-known, severe dermatological reaction characterized by blisters, matching the question's description.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Adverse drug reactions to Carbamazepine
Stem keywords: Carbamazepine, serious skin reactions, blisters
Lead-in keywords: known as
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QPi002mvKkaoF_fFnzcdoM

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 7899-7901

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 2087-2089

E6 Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics(2024) — Volume 1 p. 1469-1471

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