POSTHERPETIC ORAL ULCERS MISDIAGNOSED AS PEMPHIGUS IN A PATIENT WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS UNDER BUCILLAMINE THERAPY

Autoimmune bullous disease is sometimes seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, pemphigus can be induced by certain disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for RA, such as thiol compounds. Antibodies against desmogleins are occasionally detected in the sera of drug-indu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Toshiyuki Yamamoto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Our Dermatology Online 2013-11-01
Series:Nasza Dermatologia Online
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.odermatol.com/issue-in-html/2013-4-3s-postherpetic/
Description
Summary:Autoimmune bullous disease is sometimes seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, pemphigus can be induced by certain disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for RA, such as thiol compounds. Antibodies against desmogleins are occasionally detected in the sera of drug-induced pemphigus patients. We herein describe a case which showed ulceration following herpes zoster in the oral cavity of a patient with RA under treatment with bucillamine. The patient was misdiagnosed with pemphigus in another clinic, because of mucous membrane lesions and positive circulating levels of anti-desmoglein-1 IgG. Clinicians should know that circulating antibodies against desmogleins can be detected, although at low titers, in the sera of patients under therapies with certain drugs.
ISSN:2081-9390