This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Management

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Initial management includes treatment of the suspected infectious disease or to discontinue the causal drug (1).

Some general principles are outlined below:

  • secondary infection and dehydration should be prevented - especially if the patient has Stevens-Johnson syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis
  • itch may be a prominent feature - a combination of a potent topical steroid and an antihistamine may help to relieve this (2)
  • oral acyclovir for patients with coexisting or recent HSV infection to reduce the number and duration of cutaneous lesions (1).
  • the condition may take up to three weeks to resolve (2)
  • recurrent episodes of erythema multiforme are often due to herpes simplex an may respond to long-term treatment with aciclovir. These patients should also be referred to a dermatologist for further treatment (1)
  • the role of oral steroids is controversial in this condition

 

Reference:

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page