title: Esophageal involvement of pemphigus vulgaris associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.
abstract: Esophageal involvement of pemphigus vulgaris is rare, and when present, the most common presenting symptoms reported in the medical literature are odynophagia and dysphagia. Here, we present two cases of pemphigus vulgaris presenting with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage because of esophageal involvement of the disease. In case 1, a 41-year-old female patient with a prior diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris presented with hematemesis. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed diffuse mucosal exfoliation and oozing bleeding of the oropharynx and esophagus. The patient recovered after the administration of high-dose corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. In case 2, a 30-year-old female patient with known pemphigus vulgaris also presented with hematemesis, showing similar endoscopic findings to the first case. She also responded to the same treatment. Esophageal involvement of pemphigus vulgaris responds to high-dose corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. Thus, in patients with pemphigus vulgaris with signs or symptoms of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, an early endoscopy for the evaluation of esophageal involvement is beneficial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sooyun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ; Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Soo Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Moo-Nyun
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ; Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Pil
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ; Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Il
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Esophageal involvement; Pemphigus; Upper gastrointestinal bleeding