Drug-induced pemphigus is a well-established variant of pemphigus. Since the 1950s, evidence has grown that drugs may cause or exacerbate pemphigus. A drug origin should be considered in every new patient with pemphigus. The most common variant of pemphigus associated with drug exposure is pemphigus foliaceus, although pemphigus vulgaris has been described as well. In penicillamine-treated patients, pemphigus foliaceus is more common than pemphigus vulgaris, with an approximate ratio of 4:1.
Pemphigus is a group of potentially life-threatening autoimmune mucocutaneous diseases characterized by epithelial blistering affecting cutaneous and/or mucosal surfaces, the term being derived from the Greek Pemphix (bubble or blister). Pemphigus affects 0.1-0.5 patients per 100,000 population per year (Ahmed et al., 1980; Becker and Gaspari 1993).
Pemphigus is derived from the Greek word pemphix meaning bubble or blister. Pemphigus describes a group of chronic bullous diseases, originally named by Wichman in 1791. The term pemphigus once included most bullous eruptions of the skin, but diagnostic tests have improved, and bullous diseases have been reclassified.
Pemphigus herpetiformis is a clinical variant of pemphigus that combines the clinical features of dermatitis herpetiformis with the immunopathologic features of pemphigus. Previously, pemphigus was described using various terms, including herpetiform pemphigus, acantholytic herpetiform dermatitis, pemphigus controlled by sulfapyridine, and mixed bullous disease.
Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is generally a benign variety of pemphigus. It is an autoimmune skin disorder characterized by the loss of intercellular adhesion of keratinocytes in the upper parts of the epidermis (acantholysis), resulting in the formation of superficial blisters. It is typified by clinical involvement of healthy-appearing skin that blisters when rubbed (the Nikolsky sign; commonly but incorrectly spelled Nicholsky), a finding named after Dr Piotr Nikolsky, who first described this sign in 1896.1 Pemphigus foliaceus is characterized by a chronic course, with little or no involvement of the mucous membranes.
The various types of pemphigus include pemphigoid, pemphigus vegetans, Hailey-Hailey disease, and pemphigus foliaceus.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), or human herpesvirus 4, is a gammaherpesvirus that infects more than 95% of the world’s population. The most common manifestation of primary infection with this organism is acute infectious mononucleosis, a selflimited clinical syndrome that most frequently affects adolescents and young adults.
Since the first cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection were identified, the number of children infected with HIV has risen dramatically in developing countries, the result of an increased number of HIV-infected women of childbearing age in these areas. HIV is a retrovirus and can be transmitted vertically, sexually, or via contaminated blood products or IV drug abuse. Vertical HIV infection occurs before birth, during delivery, or after birth.
The parotid glands are small exocrine glands that rarely call attention to themselves. Perfect function throughout life is normal. Dry mouth, drooling, swelling, and pain are essentially the only symptoms caused by dysfunction of the salivary glands.
The management of pain in dentistry encompasses a number of procedural issues, including the delivery of anesthetic and the management of postprocedural pain, as well as pain diagnosis, management strategies for orofacial conditions that cause pain in the face and head, and the management of pain in special populations.