PEMPHIGUS FOLIACEUS

Course overview

PEMPHIGUS IS A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING, AUTOIMMUNE BLISTERING DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY THE PRESENCE OF CIRCULATING ANTIBODIES AGAINST DESMOGLEINS, KEY COMPONENTS OF EPIDERMAL INTERCELLULAR ADHESION. IN CONTRAST TO PEMPHIGUS VULGARIS, IN WHICH MUCOSAL LESIONS ARE CLASSICALLY PRESENT, PEMPHIGUS FOLIACEUS DOES NOT INVOLVE MUCOSAL LESIONS AND ONLY INVOLVES SKIN INVOLVEMENT. PEMPHIGUS FOLIACEUS INVOLVES IMMUNOGLOBULIN G (IGG) ANTIBODIES DIRECTED AGAINST DESMOGLEIN-1 (DSG1) FOUND IN THE GRANULAR LAYER OF THE EPIDERMIS. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF PEMPHIGUS FOLIACEUS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN IMPROVING CARE FOR AFFECTED PATIENTS.