Erythematous Plaques and Tense Bullae in an Infant

Abstract

Although often thought of as a disease of the elderly, bullous pemphigoid is the second most common bullous disease in infants. Infantile bullous pemphigoid is extremely rare and may be easily confused with other skin diseases such as epidermolysis bullosa and chronic bullous disease of childhood. There appears to be a paucity of literature on unique clinical presentations of infantile bullous pemphigoid. In this report, we describe a case of infantile bullous pemphigoid, which presented with tense bullae in a widespread distribution, including many labial bullae. The rash initially began on this patient's temples and ears four days prior. We believe this case will be of interest as it demonstrates a rare infantile disease with an unusual clinical presentation. It is important to consider infantile bullous pemphigoid in a patient presenting with tense bullae and initiate appropriate diagnostic studies.