Autoimmune Bullous Diseases

This book provides a quick study and reference guide for physicians who treat patients with autoimmune bullous diseases (AIBDs), the most life-threatening inflammatory diseases of the skin. AIBDs are rare, and comprise less than 1% of the dermatological patients. As such, they are often given little focus in general dermatology literature, despite being complicated and demanding diseases .

Autoimmune Bullous Diseases Study Guide: Text and Review is written in direct and simple diction with tables and figures to practically illustrate this difficult field. At the end of each chapter the reader is challenged to check the learned matter with multiple-choice questions. It contains protocols and follows international guidelines, making it suitable study material for courses on autoimmune bullous diseases. Residents and researchers in dermatology and adjacent disciplines will find this book useful as a quick guide when dealing with these patients.

Auteur

Marcel F. Jonkman is professor and chair of the department of Dermatology at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). Since 1992 he runs the Center for Blistering Diseases at the University, which is the only expertise center for autoimmune bullous diseases, epidermolysis bullosa, and other skin fragility disorders in the Netherlands. The center has its own laboratory for research and immunodiagnosis of blistering diseases. It provides weekly clinical services for patients with blistering diseases. Hundreds of patients with an autoimmune bullous disease from all over the country (16.920.510 inhabitants, 2015) have visited the center in all these years.

The textbook is the effort of the senior staff and PhD's in Groningen who wrote this 'all-Groningen book'. The senior staff has gained years of experience in diagnosis and management of autoimmune bullous diseases, and reported their scientific findings in many publications. The annual Course on Blister Diseases in Groningen, that runs since the year 2000, provided much of the didactic structure used in this book. The photographers Siep Noorman and PietToonder signed for the excellent medical photographs that were selected from a digital image database with more than 250,000 images of dermatological disease.

Résumé
This book provides obligatory study material on courses on autoimmune bullous diseases. Residents and researchers in dermatology and adjacent disciplines can use the book as a quick reference guide when dealing with these patients. The book contains protocols and follows international guidelines. Currently there is no quick primer on Autoimmune Bullous Diseases for dermatologists who wish to learn the subtleties of diagnosis and management of this group of mucocutaneous diseases. Since mucous membranes are also included the following medical disciplines might be interested too: oral medicine and stomatology, ENT, ophthalmology, gynaecology, gastro-enterology. The Center for Blistering Diseases in Groningen has organized since the year 2000 an annual course on Bullous Diseases for dermatologists and pathologists. The staff is selected from the faculty. The course is interactive and problem-oriented. The proposed book would represent the documented practical knowledge of the staffon these diseases. The information should be clear and practical with examples and questions for self-assessment.

Contenu
Part I: Immunology and diagnostic tests-B-cells, autoantibodies and isotypes.- Dermatological examination of bullous diseases.- How to take a biopsy.- Direct immunofluorescence.- Indirect immunofluorescence.- Immunoblot.- ELISA testing.- Part II: Pemphigus-Structure of desmosomes.- Pemphigus foliaceus.- Pemphigus vulgaris.- Paraneoplastic pemphigus.- IgA pemphigus.- Part III: Pemphigoids-Structure of hemidesmosomes and basement membrane zone.- Cutaneous pemphigoid.- Mucous membrane pemphigoid.- Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita.- Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus.- Linear IgA Disease.- Part IV: Other inflammatory bullous diseases-Dermatitis herpetiformis.- Erythema multiforme.- Porphyria and pseudoporphyria.- Bullous dermatitis artefacta.- Part V: Resources-Patient support groups.- International centres for AIBD.