The Co-Existence of Agranulocytosis and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) in Carbamazepine Therapy: A Case Report

The therapeutic significance of carbamazepine in individuals with trigeminal neuralgia, epilepsy, and bipolar disorder is well recognized. Although it has high effectiveness, it raises the patient's risk for some adverse effects. The relationship between carbamazepine usage and agranulocytosis is well-established. Agranulocytosis is characterized by an unusually low number of neutrophils. This disorder poses a grave hazard to the patient since they are more likely to get potentially lethal bacterial or fungal infections. Moreover, carbamazepine is one of the most common causes of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), a severe skin condition with a high mortality rate. In cases where agranulocytosis and Stevens-Johnson syndrome coexist, the prognosis is relatively poor. We report a rare case of a patient who developed agranulocytosis and Stevens-Johnson syndrome after taking carbamazepine. Neutrophils accounted for 2.1% of the patient's differential leukocyte count. Furthermore, Naranjo's scale found a score of 8 for Stevens-Johnson syndrome, placing it in the "probable" category, while a score of 9 for agranulocytosis indicated that it was a confirmed adverse reaction to carbamazepine.