[Erythroderma with immunoglobulin deposits along the basal membrane. Pemphigoid erythroderma?]

There are many clinical forms of bullous pemphigoid. Nodular, localised, vegetating, vesicular and dysidrosiform variants have been described. The appartenance to the spectrum of pemphigoid was confirmed by the demonstration of antibodies directed against the 230 and 180 kDa BP antigens. Three cases of erythrodermic pemphigoid were recently described.

We describe two cases of patients suffering from erythroderma for several months associated with a linear deposit of immunoglobulins and complement along the basement membrane. In the first observation, the patient suffered from bullae of the legs before developing erythroderma. The positive direct immunofluorescence of the skin was associated with circulating anti basement membrane antibodies, making therefore the diagnosis of erythrodermic pemphigoid possible. In the second case, the patient never developed blisters. We also found a linear deposit along the basement membrane, localized on the dermic side of a skin treated by molar NaCl. No circulating antibodies were found by indirect immunofluorescence or by immunoblott. Direct immuno electron microscopy showed a deposit of immunoglobulins into the deep layers of the lamina lucida and into a part of the lamina densa.

These two cases suggest that there are true erythrodermic pemphigoid without blisters. The value of the systematic direct immunofluorescence examination of the skin of erythroderma should be evaluated.