title: Pemphigus vulgaris localized to the nose and cheeks.
abstract: Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune blistering disease characterized by disseminated bullae and erosions of the mucosal surfaces and skin. Cases of pemphigus vulgaris with localized lesions on glabrous skin have been reported, and most of them have been attributed to the Koebner phenomenon. Lesions limited to the nose have mostly been described in pemphigus foliaceus, but the nose has also been the initial site of pemphigus vulgaris in a few patients. We report 4 cases of localized pemphigus vulgaris: one case with lesions limited to the nose and cheeks and 3 cases with isolated lesions on the nose. Recurrent episodes in these patients also occurred on the nose. None of them showed mucosal involvement or dissemination during a follow-up period of 2 to 9 years. Three patients had autoantibodies against desmoglein-3 as detected by immunoblot. In the other patient, antibodies against desmoglein-3 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These localized lesions may represent a subgroup of pemphigus vulgaris or a period of limited activity during this chronic disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baykal
authors.forename: Gülsevim
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Azizlerli
authors.forename: Sybille
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thoma-Uszynski
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hertl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015820:Cadherins / Q000276:immunology; D002610:Cheek; D051184:Desmoglein 3; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009666:Nose; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; C071894:DSG3 protein, human; D051184:Desmoglein 3; D008775:Methylprednisolone