Pemphigus: Clinical and serological analysis in 26 patients

Abstract:

Now a days diagnostic criteria of pemphigus include: clinical presentationwith blisters and erosions, acan- tholisis on the conventional histopathologicalexamination and detection of antibodies on affected skin (directimmunofluorescence) or serum (indirect immunofluorescence). Objective: The aimsof this study are to compare sensibility and specificity between the ELISAmethod and the indirect immunofluorescence test (IIF) and to investigate apossible correlation between desmoglein titers (detected by ELISA) and clinicalseverity. Materials and methods: 26 patients with pemphigus were included in thestudy. The control group included 29 patients with other bullous diseases. Inevery patient, anti- intercellular substance antibodies were detected by theindirect immunofluorescence test while anti-desmoglein 1 and 3 antibodies weretitered by ELISA. In addition, titers of antibodies were measured before andafter therapy with intravenous immunoglobulins and plasmapheresis. 117determinations were obtained from patients with pemphigus and 29 from thecontrol group. Results: ELISA detection of antibodies against desmoglein 1 anddesmoglein 3 is a more sensitive method than the indirect immunofluorescencetest. No difference in specificity has been found. There is a positivecorrelation between titers of antibodies and clinical activity. Intravenousimmunoglobulin therapy does not induce immediate tapering of antibody titers. Copyrigth © Sociedad Iberoamericana de información Cientifica (SIIC), 2009.

Año de publicación:

2009

Keywords:

• BLISTERS
• Pemphigus
• Desmogleins

Fuente:

scopus