Absence of anti-BP180 antibodies in mothers of infants with bullous pemphigoid

Abstract

BP of infants is not due to maternofetal transmission of pathogenic autoantibodies. Other hypotheses for the pathophysiology of BP are discussed.

Spectrum of Clinical Responses to Therapies in Infantile Bullous Pemphigoid

“…Childhood BP is a rare autoimmune disease with usually characteristic clinical, biologic, and histologic features . Whereas in adulthood two hemidesmosome‐associated proteins (BP230 and BP180) have been identified as targets of autoantibodies , only anti‐BP180 antibodies have been reported in children in a few case reports, similar to those of our patients . All of the patients discussed herein presented in infancy with typical bullous eruptions of the extremities, urticarial plaques in one case, and no mucosal involvement.…”

Infantile Bullous Pemphigoid Following Hepatitis B Vaccinations

“…Childhood or infantile BP is rarely reported and the pathogenesis of this entity is still obscure. The disease usually begins within the first 6 months of life and this fact raised the possibility that the transfer of maternal IgG pemphigoid antibodies are the cause, however to date no antibodies have been detected in the serum of mothers [32]. In our present case a temporal association exists between the inoculation of the hexavalent vaccine and the development of the skin disease.…”

Childhood Bullous Pemphigoid in Association with Hyperimmunoglobulin E Syndrome

“…Childhood BP presenting within the first year of life is very rare. It is normally self‐limited and usually responds well to either topical or systemic steroids when treatment is initiated before the disease becomes widespread (1,2,4). Its definitive diagnosis requires DIF studies and sometimes characterization of the target antigen as a clinical and histologic overlap with other acquired or congenital blistering disorders is usual (20).…”

“…Its incidence in childhood and infancy is unknown; however, it is thought to occur very rarely (1). About 70 patients with childhood BP have been reported, 20 of which are at 1 year of age or younger (1–5). The main clinicopathologic and immunologic properties of childhood BP are usually indistinguishable from those of adult BP.…”