Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are life-threatening diseases with high mortality rates. This study was designed to analyze the pathogenic factors, clinical manifestations, complications, treatment, and prognosis of SJS/TEN and to explore the differences between surviving and deceased patients. Methods: SJS/TEN patients admitted to Beijing Friendship Hospital from January 2006 to December 2015 were included in the study. Patients' data were retrospectively analyzed. Comparative studies were performed on the survival group and the deceased group, and Fisher's exact probability test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Among the 88 patients included, 40 (45.5%) were male with a mean age of 45 +/- 18 years. Forty-eight (54.5%) had SJS, 34 (38.6%) had SJS/TEN, and 6 (6.8%) had TEN. Fifty-three (60.2%) cases were caused by medications, mainly antibiotics (n = 24) followed by traditional Chinese medicines (n = 7). Forty-two cases (47.7%) developed visceral damage. Eighty-two patients improved or recovered and were discharged from hospital, and six patients died. Comparative studies on the survival group and the deceased group showed that the presence of malignant tumor (chi(2) = 27.969, P < 0.001), connective tissue diseases (chi(2) = 9.187, P = 0.002), previous abnormal liver/kidney functions (chi(2) = 6.006, P = 0.014), heart rate > 100 times/min (chi(2) = 6.347, P= 0.012), detached skin area > 20% (chi(2) = 5.594, P = 0.0 18), concurrent mucosal involvement at the mouth, eyes, and external genitals (chi(2) = 4.945, P = 0.026), subsequent accompanying liver/kidney damage (chi(2) = 11.839, P = 0.001, and chi(2) = 36.302, P < 0.001, respectively), and SCORTEN score > 2 (chi(2) = 37.148, P < 0.001) increased the risk of death. Conclusions: SJS/TEN is mainly caused by medications, and nearly half of patients develop visceral damage. Multiple factors increase the mortality risk.