Measurement of skin adhesion in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa patients

Abstract

To the Editor: Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is a subtype of inherited epidermolysis bullosa. RDEB is a mechanobullous disease due to the lack of functional type VII collagen, which forms anchoring fibrils that are essential to dermal-epidermal adhesion. One method to measure dermal-epidermal adhesion strength is to induce suction blisters.1 For healthy and RDEB participants, suction blister time (SBT) can vary greatly, but previous studies have shown that the necessary time to induce a blister in RDEB skin is less than in normal skin.