Pemphigus group (vulgaris, vegetans, foliaceus, herpetiformis, brasiliensis)

Pemphigus is a rare autoimmune bullous disorder involving the skin and mucosa. The disease has a chronic course. It is characterized histologically by an intraepidermal cleavage and the production of pathogenic antibodies directed against different proteins of the desmosomes, which belong to the cadherin family. The diagnosis of the type of pemphigus is made on clinical features, the level of histologic cleavage, and the identification of the antigens recognized by circulating autoantibodies using immunoblot or ELISA analysis of serum. The epidemiology and clinical, histologic, and immunologic findings of pemphigus vulgaris, pemphigus foliaceus, pemphigus vegetans, and pemphigus herpetiformis are described.