Occurrence of epidermolysis bullosa in Finland

Cases of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) were gathered from the hospital files of dermatological clinics and university pediatric clinics in Finland over a period of 10 years. 40 families were identified, containing 121 live sufferers from this condition, after which genealogical analysis revealed a further 55 patients. 11 out of the 17 subtypes of EB (1) were diagnosed in these families. The diseases found in two families were difficult to type according to the present classification, and were therefore handled separately. No regional accumulation was found and it seems that there is no type of EB which represents a peculiarly Finnish form. The most significant difference compared with the Norwegian material was the very much lower incidence of the recessive dystrophic subtype in Finland.