title: Childhood bullous pemphigoid: report of a case with life-threatening course during homeopathy treatment.
abstract: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disorder that may very rarely occur in childhood. We describe a 9-month-old child who developed bullous pemphigoid while she was being treated for presumptive atopic eczema with a homeopathic regimen comprising sulfur, mercury, cantharides, and Rhus (Toxicodendron). She had generalized bullae and a progressive worsening of her general condition with asthenia, dehydration, malnutrition. While the role of homeopathy in triggering the disease remains unclear, our observation attests to the potential life-threatening course of childhood BP in instances where appropriate treatment is withheld.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuenzli
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grimaître
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krischer
authors.forename: Jean-Hilaire
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Saurat
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Calza
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Borradori
mesh_terms: D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006705:Homeopathy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index