Evaluation of the Diagnostic Value of Oesophageal Biopsies for Direct Immunofluorescence Microscopy in Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid

Authors

  • Kaan Yilmaz Department of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Department of Dermatology, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
  • Onur Dikmen Department of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Charité – Universitätsmedizin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Pathology, Berlin, Germany
  • Nina van Beek Department of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
  • Jens U. Marquardt Department of Medicine I, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
  • Martha M. Kirstein Department of Medicine I, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
  • Detlef Zillikens Department of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
  • Enno Schmidt Department of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Lübeck Institute of Experimental Dermatology (LIED), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2340/actadv.v103.11947

Keywords:

mucous membrane pemphigoid, autoimmune bullous diseases, autoantibody, direct immunofluorescence microscopy, esophagus, oesophagus, dysphagia

Abstract

Mucous membrane pemphigoid is an autoimmune blistering disorder characterized by predominant involvement of surface-close epithelia and linear depositions of immunoreactants at the dermal-epithelial junction on direct immunofluorescence microscopy. A major diagnostic difficulty is the frequent need for multiple biopsies to facilitate the diagnosis. Although oesophageal involvement is a rare, but life-threatening manifestation, the relevance of oesophageal direct immunofluorescence sampling is unclear. This retrospective monocentric study evaluated 67 non-lesional biopsies from 11 patients with mucous membrane pemphigoid and clinical symptoms suggestive of oesophageal involvement, comprising 31 samples from the oesophagus and 36 samples from other anatomical sites. Five patients (45.5%) exhibited endoscopic findings compatible with oesophageal involvement of mucous membrane pemphigoid. No correlation was identified between the presence of oesophageal lesions and direct immunofluorescence positivity in lesions from the oesophagus (p = 1.0). Oral and cutaneous samples were significantly more frequently positive by direct immunofluorescence than were oesophageal biopsies (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0195, respectively). Oesophageal samples yielded significantly less IgG reactivity than oral and cutaneous lesions (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0126, respectively), and less IgA antibody response than oral lesions (p = 0.0036). In conclusion, oesophageal direct immunofluorescence samples were inferior to oral and cutaneous biopsies for the diagnosis of mucous membrane pemphigoid even when oesophageal lesions compatible with mucous membrane pemphigoid were present at the time of biopsy. 

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Published

2023-08-25

How to Cite

Yilmaz, K., Dikmen, O., van Beek, N., Marquardt, J. U., Kirstein, M. M., Zillikens, D., & Schmidt, E. (2023). Evaluation of the Diagnostic Value of Oesophageal Biopsies for Direct Immunofluorescence Microscopy in Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid. Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 103, adv11947. https://doi.org/10.2340/actadv.v103.11947

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Vol. 103 (2023)

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Copyright (c) 2023 Kaan Yilmaz, Onur Dikmen, Nina van Beek, Jens U. Marquardt, Martha M. Kirstein, Detlef Zillikens, Enno Schmidt

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