Coexistent atypical bullous pemphigoid and systemic lupus erythematosus

A vesiculobullous eruption with clinical and histological features of bullous pemphigoid developed in a 38-year-old woman with proved systemic lupus erythematosus. The patient had a sulphone responsive blistering disease that was characterized by pruritic subepidermal bullae and linear, predominantly IgA basement membrane zone deposition and IgA pemphigoid antibodies in her sera. Because both diseases are associated with immune complexes of special immunoglobulin classes, this association may not be entirely fortuitous.