Diagnostics of autoimmune bullous diseases in German dermatology departments.
BACKGROUND
No consistent data are available on the currently employed diagnostic tools for autoimmune bullous diseases in Germany. The aim of this survey was to describe currently performed diagnostic methods for bullous autoimmune diseases in German dermatology departments.


METHODS
A standardized questionnaire evaluated the available diagnostic methods i. e. direct immunofluorescence microscopy (IFM), indirect IFM, commercial ELISA systems, and non-commercial serological tests as well as the number of samples per year in all 34 university and 39 non-university dermatology departments.


RESULTS
The overall return rate was 89 %, 100 % and 79 % for the university and non-university departments, respectively. Direct IFM was the most frequently used method and was applied in 98 % of the responding departments. In 74 % of the responding departments, indirect IFM was used mainly on monkey esophagus and human salt-split skin. Commercial ELISA systems were employed in 58 % of the clinics; all of them used anti-desmoglein ELISA, while anti-BP180 and anti-BP230 ELISA were established in 49 % and 48 % of departments, respectively. Non-commercial analytic methods were only performed in 22 % of the departments.


CONCLUSIONS
The high return rate of this survey allows a relatively precise description of the current diagnostic methods used in German dermatology departments. Standard diagnostic tests are available nationwide and in bullous pemphigoid and pemphigus, the antigen-specific detection of autoantibodies is routinely performed in half of the departments. Rare disorders may be diagnosed by cooperation with some specialized centers.
Department of Dermatology, Allergology and Venereology, University of Lübeck, Germany.
Nina
N
van Beek
Diana
D
Knuth-Rehr
Peter
P
Altmeyer
Chalid
C
Assaf
Philipp
P
Babilas
Christiane
C
Bayerl
Sandrine
S
Benoit
Edgar
E
Dippel
Isaak
I
Effendy
Rüdiger
R
Eming
Matthias
M
Fischer
Thomas
T
Glaenz
Regine
R
Gläser
Matthias
M
Goebeler
Harald
H
Gollnick
Steven
S
Götze
Gerd
G
Gross
Eva
E
Hadaschik
Rudolf
R
Herbst
Barbara
B
Hermes
Bernhard
B
Homey
Nico
N
Hunzelmann
Michael
M
Jünger
Alexander
A
Kapp
Johannes S
JS
Kern
Andreas
A
Körber
Thomas
T
Luger
Dirk
D
Mechtel
Mosaad
M
Megahed
Ingrid
I
Moll
Klaus-Peter
KP
Peters
Christiane
C
Pfeiffer
Johannes
J
Ring
Martin
M
Röcken
Miklós
M
Sárdy
Cornelia S
CS
Seitz
Rudolf
R
Stadler
Kerstin
K
Steinbrink
Michael
M
Sticherling
Rolf-Markus
RM
Szeimies
Michael
M
Tronnier
Jens
J
Ulrich
Thomas
T
Vogt
Nicola
N
Wagner
Julia
J
Welzel
Jörg
J
Wenzel
Gottfried
G
Wozel
Christos C
CC
Zouboulis
Detlef
D
Zillikens
Enno
E
Schmidt
D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003880:Dermatology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*