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Pemphigus Vulgaris

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Blistering Diseases

Abstract

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) accounts for 70 % of all pemphigus cases in which the blistering occurs just above the basal layer of keratinocytes. Patients suffering from pemphigus vulgaris usually present with oral erosions and then subsequently develop cutaneous involvement. The mucosal surfaces that may be involved with painful erosions also include the pharynx, larynx, esophagus, conjunctiva, nasal, urethra, vulva, and cervix. Skin lesions can appear anywhere on the skin surface, but they have a predilection for the trunk, groins, axillae, scalp, face, and pressure points. Flaccid blisters develop on these sites and may coalesce. These blisters eventually rupture and result in erosions. The erosions heal often leaving hyper- or hypopigmentation with no scarring. There is a cutaneous only variant of PV.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Investigative Dermatology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA

    Jaehwan Kim MD, PhD

  2. Department of Dermatology, St. George Hospital, University of NSW Medical School, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Jaehwan Kim MD, PhD & Dédée F. Murrell MA(Camb),BMBCh(Oxf),FAAD,MD,FACD,FRCP

  3. Klinik für Dermatologie und Allergologie, Universitätsklinkum Gießen und Marburg GmbH, Marburg, Germany

    Michael Hertl MD

  4. Department of Dermatology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Neil J. Korman MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Jaehwan Kim MD, PhD
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  2. Michael Hertl MD
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  3. Neil J. Korman MD, PhD
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  4. Dédée F. Murrell MA(Camb),BMBCh(Oxf),FAAD,MD,FACD,FRCP
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dédée F. Murrell MA(Camb),BMBCh(Oxf),FAAD,MD,FACD,FRCP .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology, St George Hospital, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Dédée F. Murrell

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Kim, J., Hertl, M., Korman, N.J., Murrell, D.F. (2015). Pemphigus Vulgaris. In: Murrell, D. (eds) Blistering Diseases. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45698-9_24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-45698-9_24

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-45697-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-45698-9

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