As tolerated

Patient Monitoring

• The disease is self-limiting.
• Complications are rare with no mortality.

Diet

As tolerated with increased fluid intake

Patient Education

Patients should be reassured that the disease is self-limited, but that recurrences are possible. If it recurs, viral suppressive therapy with acyclovir may reduce the frequency of outbreaks.

Disposition

• Rash evolves over 1–2 weeks and subsequently resolves within 2–3 weeks, generally without scarring or sequelae.
• Following resolution, there may be some postinflammatory hyperpigmentation.
• Risk of recurrence may be as high as 37%.

Complications

Corneal ulceration is reported as a serious complication of Stevens-Johnson syndrome. It is not clear whether this can occur in true erythema multiforme. Although there may be complications as a result of the underlying disease, there are no other complications of erythema multiforme.