Childhood pemphigus vulgaris: a case report

Abstract

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a potentially fatal autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering disease. Although PV occurs predominantly in adulthood, in the 3rd to 5th decades of life, there have rarely been reports of childhood cases which are often misdiagnosed. It presents as oral blisters that rupture rapidly and progress to painful erosions. Most patients develop cutaneous flaccid blisters that rupture easily and leave painful erosions, which are slow to heal. These erosions are prone to secondary bacterial infection. Without treatment, the disease is progressive and the mortality rate is about 100%. We report an 8-year-old girl who was referred to our clinic from a pediatric center with mucocutaneous recalcitrant blisters.