Pemphigus vulgaris in adolescence. A case presentation and review of the literature

Abstract

Pemphigus vulgaris, a chronic autoimmune vesiculobullous disease, affects people in their fifth or sixth decade of life. Involvement in adolescence is rare with only about 30 cases reported in the last 35 years. This article presents a case of adolescent pemphigus vulgaris in a 15-year-old girl with oral and skin lesions. The patient has been free of lesions with a maintenance dosage of 10 mg of prednisone every other day. The mean age of the 31 patients, including our patient, was 14 years. Skin involvement was reported in 87% of patients, oral involvement in 87%, and skin and oral lesions in 81% with oral lesions preceding skin lesions. Early diagnosis of adolescent pemphigus vulgaris is important to eliminate or reduce the severity of further intraoral or extraoral involvement. The term adolescent pemphigus vulgaris is suggested when the onset is between 12 and 18 years of age.