A More Common Mucocutaneous Lesion : Pemphigus

Pemphigus is a group of potentially life-threatening disease characterized by cutaneous and mucosal blistering. There is a fairly strong genetic background to pemphigus with linkage to HLA class II alleles. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV), the most common and important variant, is an autoimmune blistering disease characterized by circulating pathogenic IgG antibodies against desmoglein 3 and desmoglein 1 autoantibodies. Oral lesions are initially vesiculobullous but readily rupture, new bullae developing as the older ones rupture and ulcerate. Biopsy of perilesional tissue, with histological and immunostaining examinations, is essential to the diagnosis.