title: Gingival lesions diagnosed as pemphigus vulgaris in an adolescent. Case report.
abstract: Desquamative gingivitis (DG) is a fairly common disorder in which the gingivae show chronic desquamation. Originally considered to be related to hormonal changes at menopause, since many of the patients are middle-aged women, DG is now recognized to be mainly a manifestation of a number of disorders ranging from vesiculobullous diseases to adverse reactions to a variety of chemicals or allergens. Desquamative gingivitis can be an important early clinical manifestation of serious systemic diseases such as pemphigus vulgaris. The authors present a case that illustrates the importance of a specific diagnosis in patients with desquamative gingival lesions previously treated for 6 months as classical gingivitis. Gingival biopsy showed histologic patterns typical of pemphigus vulgaris. The patient was treated with systemic and topical corticosteroids in association with miconazole. The patient is now under control with low-dose systemic corticosteroids. Proper recognition of lesions in the oral mucosa leads, in several situations, to an early diagnosis of a systemic disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Diagnosis and Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry of Araraquara - UNESP, Araraquara, Brazil.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sposto
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Onofre
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scully
mesh_terms: D000051:Acantholysis / Q000473:pathology; D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D001706:Biopsy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008825:Miconazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019226:Oral Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D008825:Miconazole