Dermatitis herpetiformis in children. Relationship to bullous pemphigoid.

Abstract

Dermatitis herpetiformis occurs rarely in childhood, and certain features of the disease in children differ from its manifestations in adults. The eruption is commonly bullous, shows little predilection for the typical regional pattern of the adult, may be nonpruritic, has a shorter course, and often is resistant to the usual therapy. In brief, the so-called bullous dermatitis herpetiformis of children appears not to be the same disease as the typical dermatitis herpetiformis of adults. This bullous eruption in children must be considered in the light of several entities— among them bullous pemphigoid, erythema multiforme, and drug reactions of the bullous type. Bullous pemphigoid, as it has been described in children, has certain features which link it to both erythema multiforme and to the bullous dermatitis herpetiformis of childhood. The extent of this confusion may be significantly reduced if we can distinguish the bullous dermatitis herpetiformis of childhood as a distinct