Approach and Management of Autoimmune Blistering Diseases

Autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBD) are a group of rare yet potentially fatal disorders characterised by autoantibodies directed towards structural components of the skin and mucosal membranes. The management of AIBDs needs to be tailored based on the disease subtype, severity and extent of disease, patient comorbidities, treatment-related side effects, the cost and accessibility of the therapy, and patient quality of life. For most AIBDs, international consensus regarding treatment guidelines and high quality randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are lacking. Treatment generally consists of corticosteroids combined with adjuvant anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive therapies. Biological treatments including the anti-CD20 agent such as rituximab are in randomised controlled trials and appear mechanistically promising. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.