Identification of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita

[Objective] To study retrospectively the serum samples of the patients routinely diagnosed as having bullous pemphigoid (BP) by the clinical features, pathology and direct immunofluorescence to obtain the inci- dence of the epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) in this group of people, and to compare standard indirect im- munofluorescence (IIF) and salt-split skin IIF in sensibility while testing the anti-basement membrane zone (BMZ) antibodies of the serum samples of the patients with BP. [Methods] The anti-BMZ antibodies of serum samples of 37 patients with BP and 10 healthy controls were tested by standard indirect IIF and salt-split skin IIF, respectively. [Results] Standard IIF showed that 23 of 37 patients with BP contained positive anti-BMZ antibodies in their sera at positive rate of 62.16%, and 14 sera were negative. 10 healthy controls were nega- tive. Salt-split skin IIF showed that 35 of 37 patients with BP contained positive anti-BMZ antibodies in their sera at positive rate of 94.59 %, 31 of them were with IgG stained epidermal side, 1 of them was with IgG stained dermal side, 3 of them were with IgG stained both sides, and 2 sera were negative. 10 healthy controls were negative. The positive rate of salt-split skin IIF was significantly higher than that of Standard IIF (P= 0.0010.01) [Conclusions] Recording to the anthors only 1 of 37 patients was tested the EBA (salt-split skin IIF showed IgG stained dermal side), that is, 2.7 % of the patients with BP by standard diagnoses had EBA, and salt-split skin IIF was higher in sensibility than standard IIF while testing anti-BMZ antibodies of serum samples of patients with BP.