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. 2014 Sep;47(5):452-4.
doi: 10.5946/ce.2014.47.5.452. Epub 2014 Sep 30.

Esophageal involvement of pemphigus vulgaris associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Sooyun Chang  1 , Soo Jung Park  2 , Sun Wook Kim  1 , Moo-Nyun Jin  1 , Jung-Hee Lee  1 , Hyun Ju Kim  1 , Sung Pil Hong  2 , Tae Il Kim  2
Affiliations

Esophageal involvement of pemphigus vulgaris associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Sooyun Chang et al. Clin Endosc. 2014 Sep.

Abstract

Esophageal involvement of pemphigus vulgaris is rare, and when present, the most common presenting symptoms reported in the medical literature are odynophagia and dysphagia. Here, we present two cases of pemphigus vulgaris presenting with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage because of esophageal involvement of the disease. In case 1, a 41-year-old female patient with a prior diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris presented with hematemesis. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed diffuse mucosal exfoliation and oozing bleeding of the oropharynx and esophagus. The patient recovered after the administration of high-dose corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. In case 2, a 30-year-old female patient with known pemphigus vulgaris also presented with hematemesis, showing similar endoscopic findings to the first case. She also responded to the same treatment. Esophageal involvement of pemphigus vulgaris responds to high-dose corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. Thus, in patients with pemphigus vulgaris with signs or symptoms of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, an early endoscopy for the evaluation of esophageal involvement is beneficial.

Keywords: Esophageal involvement; Pemphigus; Upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Endoscopic findings. (A) Diffuse swelling of the larynx with oral desquamation. (B) Multiple erosions and shallow ulcers with exfoliation of the esophageal mucosal tissue. (C) Diffuse subepithelial hemorrhage of the esophagus.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Endoscopic findings. (A) Mucosal abrasions on the oral cavity wall. (B) Erythematous mucosa with severe edema of the larynx. (C) Linear ulceration in the esophagus covered with exudate.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Endoscopic findings. (A) Improvement of laryngeal edema and oral mucosal lesions. (B) Resolved status of mucosal lesions in the esophagus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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