The Clinical Diagnosis of Autoimmune Bullous Diseases

The autoimmune bullous diseases were diagnosed on the clinical and histopathological basis, before the introduction of the immunological assays. However, not the clinical features, but the classification of the diseases has recently changed during the immunological development. According to this new classification, pemphigus group diseases include, pemphigus vulgaris, pemphigus vegetans, pemphigus foliaceus, pemphigus erythematosus, endemic pemphigus, IgA pemphigus, pemphigus herpetiformis, paraneoplastic pemphigus, and drug-induced pemphigus. The subepidermal bullous diseases are classified as pemphigoid group diseases, epidermolysis bullosa acquisita, dermatitis herpetiformis, and linear IgA bullous dermatosis. The pemphigoid-group diseases consist of bullous pemphigoid, childhood bullous pemphigoid, localised bullous pemphigoid, drug-induced pemphigoid, anti p200 pemphigoid, pemphigoid gestationes, pemphigoid nodularis, and cicatricial pemphigoid. In this review, the clinical features of the autoimmune bullous diseases are discussed according to the above mentioned classification.