[One case of type 1 auto-immune polyendocrinopathy or APECED].
BACKGROUND
autoimmune polyendocrinopathy with candidiasis and ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator gene (AIRE). We report the case of a young girl with APECED.


METHODS
an 18 year-old girl born to consanguineous parents consulted for diffuse alopecia. Dermatological examination showed nail and dental enamel dystrophy and angular cheilitis. She had a history of mineralocorticoid deficiency (Addison's disease), hypoparathyroidism, hypogonadism and Biermer's disease, and she had also had chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis since childhood. She was presenting APECED with autoimmune endocrine failure, chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis and abnormalities of ectoderm-derived tissue. Analysis of mutation in the AIRE gene showed the c.769C>T homozygous mutation in exon 6.


CONCLUSIONS
APECED, a rare autosomal recessive disorder, is a potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease. Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis is a common and early feature in children. Dermatologists are likely to be the first physicians to diagnose this syndrome.
Service de Dermatologie, CHU Saint-Jacques, 4, place Saint-Jacques, 25030 Besançon Cedex, France. e1puzenat@chu-besancon.fr
E
E
Puzenat
L
L
Pepin
A-M
AM
Bertrand
F
F
Pelletier
D
D
Monnier
J
J
Levang
I
I
Mermet
P
P
Humbert
F
F
Aubin
D000293:Adolescent; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D003241:Consanguinity; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D005808:Genes, Recessive; D006801:Humans; D010375:Pedigree; D016884:Polyendocrinopathies, Autoimmune / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D000096927:AIRE Protein
D014157:Transcription Factors; D000096927:AIRE Protein