Diagnostic value of Dsg1 ELISA for pemphigus foliaceus: an appraisal

Pemphigus foliaceus, a dermatological immune disorder, usually presents with cutaneous blistering. Of the several diagnostic tools, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against desmoglein (Dsg) 1 is widely used. The diagnostic value of Dsg1 ELISA test was previously studied by others and gave differences in diagnostic power. In addition, most reports focused on small sample sizes. Therefore, a systematic meta-analysis was conducted to assess the diagnostic property of this test. In this paper, the author summarized the diagnostic value of Dsg1 ELISA for pemphigus foliaceus. In the literature, there are 4 published papers [1 – 4] on 232 cases and 446 controls (Table 1). The overall sensitivity and specificity are equal to 95.3 and 96.4 respectively. This supports the diagnostic usefulness of Dsg1 ELISA for diagnosing pemphigus foliaceus. Figure 1 Table 1. Reports on diagnostic value of Dsg1 ELISA for pemphigus folliculus