Acantholytic rosacea of the forehead and scalp in a patient with Hailey-Hailey disease

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Cristo Rey Intern

BACKGROUND: Rosacea is a common dermatosis that can involve the bald area of the scalp. We report the case of a man presenting clinical symptoms of rosacea of the forehead and the scalp, but with a histological picture of familial…

A case of stable oral pemphigus vulgaris on low dose immunosuppressive therapy

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Cristo Rey Intern

The clinical and epidemiological features of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) are well documented but there remain few reports of oesophageal involvement of PV. Although previously considered to be rare, recent reports have suggested that up to 87% of patients with PV…

Pemphigus foliaceus masquerading as IgA pemphigus and responding to dapsone

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Cristo Rey Intern

A 14-year-old male presented with seven years history of recurrent episodes of fluid filled, itchy and eroded lesions over the body not responding to oral corticosteroids and azathioprine. Dermatological examination revealed crusted plaques and erosions in a seborrheic distribution. Histopathology…

Findings around hair follicles and sweat glands in immunobullous disease

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Cristo Rey Intern

Background Inherent to some immunobullous disorders is potential for intraepidermal or dermal–epidermal junction fragility, a phenomenon that may compromise biopsy specimen integrity and direct immunofluorescence (DIF) interpretation. In these situations, cutaneous adnexal structures (e.g. hair follicles, sweat apparatus) usually remain…

Polymorphisms of HLA microsatellite marker in Tunisian pemphigus foliaceus.

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Cristo Rey Intern

Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is an autoimmune blistering skin disease that partly results from genetic factors, especially from human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class II genes. Several data have reported the involvement of microsatellite (STR) markers across different regions of the HLA…

Clinical and immunological profile of umbilical involvement in pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Cristo Rey Intern

Background. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF) are autoimmune vesicobullous disorders with IgG autoantibodies directed against desmoglein (Dsg)1 and 3, which lead to intraepidermal acantholysis. Aim. To characterize the clinical and immunological profile of patients with PF or PV with umbilical…

Analysis of High-dose Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy in Patients

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Cristo Rey Intern

High-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy is used in patients with severe autoimmune blistering diseases that are refractory to standard immunosuppressive therapy. To determine the efficacy and frequency of adverse events of IVIG therapy, we retrospectively analysed data for 16 patients…

Posted in Around the Globe, News and Information

Familial benign chronic pemphigus and doxycycline

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Cristo Rey Intern

Background Hailey-Hailey disease (HHD) or familial benign chronic pemphigus is a rare autosomal dominant inherited skin disorder, characterized by flaccid vesicles and erosions on the intertriginous areas. Current treatments are not particularly effective. We report 6 cases dramatically improving with doxycycline.…

Tagged with: Doxycycline, Hailey-Hailey disease
Posted in Around the Globe, News and Information, Treatment and Medication

Specific immunoglobulin isotypes correlate with disease activity, morphology, duration and HLA association in Pemphigus vulgaris.

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Cristo Rey Intern

The molecular basis of disease heterogeneity in autoimmune conditions such as Pemphigus vulgaris is poorly understood. Although desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) has been well established as a primary target of immunoglobulin (Ig) autoantibodies in PV, there remain several questions regarding the…

Tagged with: autoantibodies, desmoglein 3, HLA, IgG1, IgG4, immunoglobulin, isotype, pemphigus vulgaris
Posted in Around the Globe, News and Information

Autoimmune Diseases Facts

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Cristo Rey Intern

An autoimmune disease develops when the body’s immune system fails to recognize normal body tissues and attacks and destroys them as if they were foreign, rather than attacking an outside organism. The cause is not fully understood, but in some…

Tagged with: autoimmune diseases, autoimmune disorders
Posted in Around the Globe, News and Information