Blistering disorders

Published on 04/03/2015 by admin

Filed under Dermatology

Last modified 04/03/2015

Print this page

rate 1 star rate 2 star rate 3 star rate 4 star rate 5 star
Your rating: none, Average: 0 (0 votes)

This article have been viewed 2012 times

Blistering disorders

Blistering is often seen with skin disease. It is found with common dermatoses such as acute contact dermatitis, pompholyx, herpes simplex, herpes zoster and bullous impetigo, and it also occurs after insect bites, burns and friction or cold injury. The type of blister depends on the level of cleavage: subcorneal or intraepidermal blisters rupture easily, but subepidermal ones are not so fragile (Fig. 1). The primary acquired autoimmune bullous disorders, dealt with here, are rare but important.

Pemphigus

Pemphigus is an uncommon, severe and potentially fatal autoimmune blistering disorder affecting the skin and mucous membranes.

Aetiopathogenesis

Over 80% of patients have circulating immunoglobulin (Ig) G autoantibodies detectable in the serum by indirect immunofluorescence (p. 127), which bind with desmoglein, a desmosomal cadherin involved in epidermal intercellular adhesion. The antibodies, possibly with complement activation and protease release, result in loss of adhesion and an intraepidermal split. Direct immunofluorescence shows the intercellular deposition of IgG in the suprabasal epidermis. Pemphigus is associated with other organ-specific autoimmune disorders such as myasthenia gravis.

Buy Membership for Dermatology Category to continue reading. Learn more here