14 DAY TRIAL // A 40-year-old man from Scotland woke up with an unusual rash on his body, especially on his buttocks after a penicillin treatment for tonsillitis. The weird condition is known as “Baboon syndrome” because it turns one's rear red, resembling that of a special kind of monkey.
After accusing tonsil inflammation, the man was prescribed a penicillin treatment by his doctor, leading to the development of a severe rash. The skin problem only got worse, spreading on the man's body and becoming painful. After further investigation, the patient's problem proved to be a rare allergic reaction to penicillin antibiotics.
The “Baboon Syndrome” is officially called symmetrical drug-related intertriginous and flexural exanthema, mainly caused by allergic reactions to penicillin or exposure to nickel or mercury, notes Daily Mail. Reported cases also pointed towards chemotherapy or heartburn medication as being a potential trigger.
In just a few days from his initial visit, the man returned to the hospital to have his severe rash treated, and was given different medicine, ridding him of his tonsil problem but causing the spread of the skin issue. The rash spread to his stomach, armpits, thighs and became painful as the tissue started to deteriorate.
The first thing that came to mind was that the man was suffering from some kind of flesh-eating disease or a severe drug reaction, but after several tests doctors diagnosed him with baboon syndrome. In order to stop the spreading, doctors took a flesh sample and stopped the antibiotic treatment choosing to administrate steroids.
Within eleven days, the patient was able to completely get rid of the rash and get out of the hospital. The rare condition is known to occur in a few hours or even days of antibiotics administration and disappear with steroid treatment in almost one week.
Even if the rash disappeared, it is more than likely to reoccur with any future antibiotics treatment. So unless the Scottish man liked his red rear, he should try and stay away from any kind of infections.