Pemphigus is a rare group of blistering autoimmune diseases that affect the skin and mucous membranes. The name is derived from the Greek root "pemphix", meaning "pustule".
Bullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune pruritic skin disease preferentially in older people, aged over 60, that may involve the formation of blisters (bullae) in the space between the epidermal and dermal skin layers. The disorder is a type of pemphigoid. It is classified as a type II hypersensitivity reaction, with the formation of anti-hemidesmosome antibodies.
Nikolsky's sign is a clinical dermatological sign, named after Pyotr Nikolsky (1858–1940), a Russian physician who trained and worked in the Russian Empire. The sign is present when slight rubbing of the skin results in exfoliation of the outermost layer. A typical test would be to place the eraser of a pencil on the roof of a lesion and spin the pencil in a rolling motion between the thumb and forefinger. If the lesion is opened, then the Nikolsky's sign is present/positive.
Pemphigus vulgaris is a rare chronic blistering skin disease and the most common form of pemphigus. Pemphigus was derived from the Greek word pemphix, meaning blister. It is classified as a type II hypersensitivity reaction in which antibodies are formed against desmosomes, components of the skin that function to keep certain layers of skin bound to each other. As desmosomes are attacked, the layers of skin separate and the clinical picture resembles a blister. These blisters are due to acantholysis, or breaking apart of intercellular connections through an autoantibody-mediated response. Over time the condition inevitably progresses without treatment: lesions increase in size and distribution throughout the body, behaving physiologically like a severe burn.
Desmoglein-3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the DSG3 gene. In the skin epidermis Desmoglein-3 is expressed in the basal lower layers of the epidermis, and dominates in terms of expression on mucosal surfaces compared to Desmoglein-1.
Desquamative gingivitis is an erythematous (red), desquamatous (shedding) and ulcerated appearance of the gums. It is a descriptive term and can be caused by several different disorders.
Isidor Neumann, Edler von Heilwart was an Austrian dermatologist.
François Henri Hallopeau was a French dermatologist. He studied medicine under Alfred Vulpian and Sigismond Jaccoud. He co-founded and was secretary general of the Société Française de dermatologie et de syphiligraphie. He became a member of the Académie de Médecine in 1893.
Pemphigus foliaceus is an autoimmune blistering disease of the skin. Pemphigus foliaceus causes a characteristic inflammatory attack at the subcorneal layer of epidermis, which results in skin lesions that are scaly or crusted erosions with an erythematous (red) base. Mucosal involvement is absent even with widespread disease.
Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is an autoimmune disorder stemming from an underlying tumor. It is hypothesized that antigens associated with the tumor trigger an immune response resulting in blistering of the skin and mucous membranes.
Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is an extremely rare type of psoriasis that can present in a variety of forms. Unlike the most general and common forms of psoriasis, GPP usually covers the entire body and with pus-filled blisters rather than plaques. GPP can present at any age, but is rarer in young children. It can appear with or without previous psoriasis conditions or history, and can reoccur in periodic episodes.
IgA pemphigus is a subtype of pemphigus with two distinct forms:
A vesiculobullous disease is a type of mucocutaneous disease characterized by vesicles and bullae. Both vesicles and bullae are fluid-filled lesions, and they are distinguished by size. In the case of vesiculobullous diseases which are also immune disorders, the term immunobullous is sometimes used. Examples of vesiculobullous diseases include:
Bullous impetigo is a bacterial skin infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus that results in the formation of large blisters called bullae, usually in areas with skin folds like the armpit, groin, between the fingers or toes, beneath the breast, and between the buttocks. It accounts for 30% of cases of impetigo, the other 70% being non-bullous impetigo.
Mucous membrane pemphigoid is a rare chronic autoimmune subepithelial blistering disease characterized by erosive lesions of the mucous membranes and skin. It is one of the pemphigoid diseases that can result in scarring.
A vulvar disease is a particular abnormal, pathological condition that affects part or all of the vulva. Several pathologies are defined. Some can be prevented by vulvovaginal health maintenance.
