Clinical variants of dermatitis herpetiformis and pemphigus and their significance for diagnosis and therapy

In recent years, patients with chronic vesiculobullous skin diseases have become more frequent, the predominant part of whom are patients with dermatitis herpetiformis and pemphigus. Each of these skin diseases has a fairly typical symptom complex, which is the basis for diagnosis. However, there are often patients who, at certain periods of the development of the process, have a picture similar to other skin diseases. This creates significant difficulties in recognizing them. Further, in patients with herpetiform dermatitis, a pemphigoid variety is sometimes observed, which is diagnosed as a true pemphigus, and in patients with pemphigus, a herpetiform type, which is mistaken for Duhring's herpetiformis dermatitis. Patients with herpetiform variant of pemphigus later develop a typical picture of true pemphigus. In this regard, some authors began to believe that dermatitis herpetiformis turns into pemphigus vulgaris.