Vancomycin-induced bullous dermatosis: a rare case report

Linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD) is a rare acquired skin blistering autoimmune disease. It can be diagnosed by confirming the presence of a linear band of IgA at the dermoepidermal junction on direct immunofluorescence microscopy. LABD can be characterized by vesicular lesions, diffuse blisters, or even as a mimicker of Steven-Johnson syndrome. LABD may be caused by tumours, infections, or drugs (amiodarone, furosemide, phenytoin, however, vancomycin is the potential inciting drug in most reports).

The authors present here a case of a 61-year-old woman with a history of HTN. The patient had a discectomy 15 years ago, and also underwent a lumbar fusion surgery that resulted in complications with her discitis. Due to the complications from the surgery, intravenous treatment with vancomycin and meropenem was initiated. After a few days of treatment, the patient developed clear, tense, fluid-filled bullae over the upper extremities. Immunofluorescence microscopy is not available in our hospital. Therefore a diagnosis of vancomycin-induced LABD was proposed based on the clinical manifestation of the lesions and the coincidence with vancomycin administration. After 2 days of discontinuing the administration of vancomycin and applying local diprosone, the lesions started to regress and a full recovery was achieved on day 10.

Even though drug-induced LABD is uncommon, its incidence has been steadily increasing in the last few years. LABD is a simple condition with a good prognosis and full recovery after the discontinuation of vancomycin.