Support for patients with Pemphigus and Pemphigoid and their carers
PEMPHIGUS AND PEMPHIGOID
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There are variations of autoimmune blistering diseases and, on this page, we have links to some of the main ones. But there are more. Do investigate further and try to learn as much as you can about your own specific disease.
PEMPHIGOID
One of the 2 main categories of auto-immune bullous diseases is the Pemphigoid family. Here we are providing a very superficial description of Pemphigoid and there are more detailed descriptions from expert authors.
Although these are rare diseases, the incident rate of Bullous Pemphigoid, which is one of the 2 most “common” types of Pemphigoid seems to be increasing and is found in older people more frequently.
Pemphigoid differs from Pemphigus in the layer of the skin which is affected. Like Pemphigus, it is the result of a fault in the body’s immune system which attacks the epidermis and dermis.
There are other forms of Pemphigoid and we are limiting the descriptions here to the 2 or 3 main types.
PEMPHIGUS
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The other family of Auto-immune bullous diseases is pemphigus.
As with Pemphigoid, Pemphigus is a rare disease and affects older people more commonly than the young.
The immune system “mistakenly’ attacks what are called desmogleins which act as a glue to stick the outer layers of the skin together.
There are other forms of Pemphigus and we are limiting the descriptions here to the 2 main types