HLA‐B1511 is a risk factor for carbamazepine‐induced Stevens‐Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in Japanese patients

Summary Stevens‐Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare but life‐threatening severe cutaneous adverse reactions. Recently, strong associations of HLA‐B*1502 with carbamazepine‐induced SJS/TEN have been found in Han Chinese patients. These associations have been confirmed in several Asian populations, excluding Japanese. SJS patients carrying HLA‐B*1508, HLA‐B*1511, or HLA‐B*1521, which are members of the HLA‐B75 type along with HLA‐B*1502, were detected in studies in India and Thailand. In the current study, we genotyped the HLA‐B locus from 14 Japanese typical and atypical SJS/TEN patients in whom carbamazepine was considered to be involved in the onset of adverse reactions. Although there were no HLA‐B*1502 carriers, four patients had HLA‐B*1511. Our data suggest that HLA‐B*1511, a member of HLA‐B75, is a risk factor for carbamazepine‐induced SJS/TEN in Japanese.