Pemphigus vulgaris
Pemphigus vulgaris is a rare chronic blistering skin disease and the most common form of pemphigus. Pemphigus was derived from the Greek word "pemphix", meaning blister. It is classified as a type II hypersensitivity reaction in which antibodies are formed against desmosomes, components of the skin that function to keep certain layers of skin bound to each other. As desmosomes are attacked, the layers of skin separate and the clinical picture resembles a blister. These blisters are due to acantholysis, or breaking apart of intercellular connections through an autoantibody-mediated response. Over time the condition inevitably progresses without treatment: lesions increase in size and distribution throughout the body, behaving physiologically like a severe burn.

Before the advent of modern treatments, mortality for the disease was close to 90%. Today, the mortality rate with treatment is between 5-15% due to the introduction of corticosteroids as primary treatment. Nevertheless, in 1998, pemphigus vulgaris was the fourth most common cause of death due to a skin disorder.

The disease mainly affects middle-aged and older adults between 50–60 years old. There has historically been a higher incidence in women.
Q1483214
pemphigus
Concept
Q5898312
type II hypersensitivity
Concept
Q79460
antibodies
Concept
Q846957
desmosome
Concept
Q3899001
Pemphigus vulgaris
Concept
1998-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1998
DATE
+90^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
90
NUMBER
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5
NUMBER
-15^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
-15
NUMBER
+50^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
50
NUMBER
+60^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
60
NUMBER
subclass of