Nasal, oral, and pharyngolaryngeal manifestations of pemphigus vulgaris: Endoscopic ororhinolaryngologic examination

Abstract

Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune blistering disorder that involves the skin and mucous membranes. Few reports have described nasal and oropharyngolaryngeal lesions in pemphigus vulgaris using an endoscopic ororhinolaryngologic examination. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 11 patients with pemphigus vulgaris between 2001 and 2013 with respect to their symptoms, lesion sites, lesion features, and treatments received. All patients had undergone an endoscopic ororhinolaryngologic examination. Their mucosa-related symptoms were sore throat, oral pain, odynophagia, gingival bleeding, hoarseness, and epistaxis. The most frequent sites were the oral cavity (gingiva and buccal mucosa), larynx (epiglottis and vocal fold), oropharynx (soft palate), and nasal cavity (nasal septum). Lesions were typically characterized by erosion, erosion with a whitish exudate, and erythematous patches. Thus, our study findings reveal that pemphigus vulgaris involves both the nasal and oropharyngolaryngeal regions. Patients with pemphigus vulgaris should undergo an endoscopic ororhinolaryngologic examination to determine the range of their lesions.