title: Fixed drug eruption: a prototypic disorder mediated by effector memory T cells.
abstract: Effector memory T cells are uniquely specialized to mediate protective immunity. However, their excessive activation may result in the development of organ-specific inflammatory diseases, which have not been extensively studied. Fixed drug eruption (FDE), a localized variant of drug-induced dermatoses characterized by relapse in the same location, is a prototypic disorder mediated by excessive activation of effector memory T cells, which are resident in the lesional epidermis. A variety of clinical and pathologic features uniquely observed in FDE lesions can be explained by the presence of CD8(+) intraepidermal T cells with the effector memory phenotype in the FDE lesion. This review focuses on how these T cells are generated, retained in the epidermis, and activated to cause epidermal damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan. ymizu@ks.kyorin-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mizukawa
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiohara
mesh_terms: D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D003875:Drug Eruptions / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D004817:Epidermis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007371:Interferon-gamma