Childhood Pemphigus Vulgaris: Report of Two Cases with Emphasis on Diagnostic Approach

Juvenile pemphigus vulgaris: Literature review and a rare case report

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a chronic autoimmune blistering disorder characterized by the loss of intraepithelial adhesion affecting the skin and mucous membranes, predominantly affects females in their fifth and sixth decades of life. Due to its rare occurrence in children and adolescents, there is often a delay in diagnosis and treatment in this age group. PV should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of oral ulcerative and vesiculobullous lesions in both children and adolescents.

Rituximab in Childhood and Juvenile Pemphigus Vulgaris: A Systematic Review

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a chronic autoimmune blistering disorder characterized by the loss of intraepithelial adhesion, affecting the skin and mucous membranes. Both males and females are affected, although it predominantly affects females in their fifth and sixth decades of life. Approximately 1.4 to 3.7% of PV cases occur in the pediatric population (≤18 years of age), and may be classified into childhood/pediatric PV, which affects individuals under 12 years old, and juvenile/adolescent PV, affecting those between 12 and 18 years old. Due to its rare occurrence in children and adolescents, there is often a delay in diagnosis and treatment in this age group. A systematic literature search was conducted on MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Library databases to evaluate the efficacy of rituximab (RTX) in childhood and juvenile PV patients. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist was employed to assess the risk of bias in case reports and series, while the Cochrane ROBINS-I tool was utilized for evaluating observational studies or non-randomized intervention studies. A total of 18 studies encompassing 46 juvenile or childhood PV patients in the pediatric and adolescent age groups were included for qualitative synthesis. The studies included nine case reports, two case series, five retrospective studies, one prospective study, and one open-label pilot study. Almost all cases of childhood and juvenile PV achieved either complete or partial remission after undergoing RTX treatment during the final follow-up periods. Furthermore, most cases reported no relapse, and only minor adverse events were noted in the RTX treatment group. Despite its potential benefits, the utilization of RTX in pediatric patients raises concerns due to the scarcity of evidence and the absence of controlled studies specific to this age group. Further exploration is necessary to establish a standardized treatment regimen for RTX in pediatric PV, which involves identifying the optimal dosage, frequency, treatment cycle duration, and maintenance therapy duration.

Childhood Pemphigus Vulgaris during COVID-19 Outbreak Successfully Treated with Prednisone and Azathioprine: A Case Report and Literature Review

INTRODUCTION

pemphigus vulgaris is a rare autoimmune blistering disease that involves the skin and mucous membranes and rarely occurs in pediatric age.

METHODS

we present a case of childhood pemphigus in a 9-year-old patient from Burkina Faso, which initially manifested with erosive lesions symmetrically distributed in the oral cavity. After a few months, we also observed hyperchromic lesions of the back. Histopathological examination of skin samples showed intraepidermal acantholysis, while direct immunofluorescence showed deposits of complement (C3) and immunoglobulins G (IgG) in the epidermidis; an ELISA test highlighted the presence of circulating autoantibodies against desmoglein 3.

RESULTS

the follow-up of this patient was made difficult by the advent of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, after about one year of combined therapy with systemic steroids and azathioprine the patient reached clinical remission.

Rituximab in the Management of a Child with Pemphigus Vulgaris: Case Study

Background. Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune bullous dermatosis. Its management generally involves lifelong administration of maintenance dose of systemic glucocorticosteroids, that leading to serious adverse effects especially in children. Clinical case description. Patient is the 16 years old boy with severe course of pemphigus vulgaris. The diagnosis was confirmed by the results of cell smear study from fresh erosions (> 50 acantholytic cells were revealed), histological examination of the skin biopsy from the lesion with the vesicle element (suprabasal vesicle was localized in the center, it included fibrin, neutrophil granulocytes, and acantholytic cells), skin biopsy from the area near the lesion (visually healthy skin), via direct immunofluorescence methods (IgG deposition was detected on keratinocytes’ surface throughout the epidermis), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (desmoglein 1 IgG autoantibodies — 121 U/mL (reference value < 20 U/mL) and desmoglein 3 — > 200 U/mL (reference value < 20 U/mL)). Genetically engineered biologic drug, rituximab, and systemic glucocorticosteroid, methylprednisolone, were prescribed as first-line therapy with gradual dose reduction to permanent discontinuation in 8 months. Complete remission maintained after the completion of therapy course and discontinuation of systemic glucocorticosteroid. Conclusion. Combined therapy with systemic glucocorticosteroids and rituximab can be considered as first-line therapy in pediatric patients with pemphigus vulgaris due to relatively low risk of recurrence after rather rapid and complete drugs’ discontinuation.

Management of pediatric pemphigus vulgaris with rituximab: A case report and review of the literature

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV), an acquired autoimmune bullous disease, is caused by autoantibodies targeting desmosomal proteins in the skin and mucous membranes. Recent data from the adult PV population supports the use of rituximab, a chimeric anti-CD20 IgG1 antibody, as a primary treatment strategy, but limited data exist regarding treatment in the pediatric population. We report the case of a 13-year-old male with PV treated successfully with systemic corticosteroids and rituximab, and review the literature supporting the treatment of pediatric PV with rituximab.

Childhood pemphigus vulgaris is a challenging diagnosis

Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV) is an uncommon autoimmune and blistering mucocutaneous disease. Childhood Pemphigus Vulgaris (CPV) is a pediatric variant of PV, which affects children below 12 years, being very rare among children under 10 years of age. CPV has similar clinical, histological, and immunological features as seen in PV in adults. The mucocutaneous clinical presentation is the most common in both age groups. Vesicles and erosions arising from the disease usually cause pain. A few CPV cases have been reported in the literature. This study reports a case of an 8-year-old male patient with oral lesions since the age of 3 years, and the diagnosis of pemphigus was achieved only 2 years after the appearance of the initial lesions. CPV remains a rare disease, making the diagnosis of this clinical case a challenge due to its age of onset and clinical features presented by the patient. Therefore, dentists and physicians should know how to differentiate CPV from other bullous autoimmune diseases more common in childhood.

Genetic and acquired blistering disorders of pediatric age group: An experience from Eastern India

Introduction

Blistering or vesiculobullous disorders in pediatric population are either immunobullous or mechanobullous. Spectrum was analyzed using demographic details, clinical features, histopathology, direct immunofluorescence (DIF) and Immunofluorescence mapping (IFM).

Methodology

This was a single institution based observational study in children below 18 years. The demographic details were collected using proforma containing particulars of the patient, history, complaints, and other parameters. Punch biopsy of the skin lesion was done. Biopsy samples were examined under light microscope followed by DIF using fluorescent conjugated polyclonal antibody against immunoglobulins IgG, IgM, IgA, and complement C3. The salt-split technique was also used in particular cases. IFM was done using anticytokeratin (CK) 5 & 14, antilaminin 332, anticollagen VII, and anticollagen IV antibodies.

Results

Out of total 50 cases, linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) was the commonest. The average concordance between clinical and final diagnosis (histopathological examination + DIF) was 87.5% and discordance was 12.5%. The agreement between histopathological examination and DIF was found to be substantially significant (κ = 0.6892). IFM depicted epidermolysis bullosa simplex with reduced CK 14 expression, dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa with reduced Collagen VII expression and junctional epidermolysis bullosa with absent laminin 5 expression.

Conclusion

The spectrum of bullous lesions in childhood was properly delineated and subcategorization of EB was done. Histopathological examination showed the hallmarks that were conclusive in most of the cases except in LABD and EB. DIF and IFM proved indispensable in those cases. Thus, DIF is not a substitute for histopathology but complementary to it.