Bullous Pemphigoid - Symptoms & Treatment

Bullous pemphigoid is chronic skin disorder in which the large blisters of skin disorder are formed with autoimmune capabilities. Bullous pemphigoid is a blistering skin disease which usually effect in people over fifty years of age. The blisters are large and can occur anywhere on the skin but are more common on the skin fold areas such as the groin and armpits. Bullous pemphigoid can also involve the mouth.

The disease is rarely life-threatening. Bullous Pemphigoid is a rare, autoimmune, chronic skin disorder characterized by blistering. Bullous is the medical term for a large blister (a thin-walled sac filled with clear fluid). Usually the skin in Bollous is very itchy and large, red welts and hives may appear before or during the formation of blisters. This disorder occurs most frequently in elderly people. Bullous pemphigoid is a chronic, autoimmune, subepidermal, blistering skin disease that rarely involves mucous membranes. Generalized blistering occurs in and under the upper layers of the skin and usually subsides spontaneously within severals months or years.

Symptoms of Bullous Pemphigoid

There are many symptoms of Bullous Pemphigoid Some are show below

• Bullae which are large blisters, thin-walled sacs filled with clear fluid have the symptoms - Multiple, Usually located on the arms, legs, or trunk, May also occur in the mouth, May weep, crust over, May appear deep below the surface of the skin, May erode the skin, form ulcers or open sores.
• Rashes
• Mouth sores
• Bleeding gums
• Itching

Causes of Bullous Pemphigoid

Bullous pemphigoid is caused by the following reasons:

Bullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune disease. This means that the cells in the body that normally fight infection or germs attack the skin cells, causing blisters. No one knows why the immune cells start attacking the skin cells. Bullous pemphigoid is not contagious; that is, it does not spread from person to person. Bullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune disease, which means something causes the immune system to attack healthy tissues in the body, in this case the skin.

Bullous pemphigoid can also require immune suppression drugs, such as azathoprine (Imuran). Other treatments that have been used for severe disease include intravenous immunoglobulin infusions. Bullous pemphigoid can be chronic and mild without affecting the general health of affected individuals.

Home Treatment and other treatment options for Bullous Pemphigoid

Following are the treatment options for Bulous Pemphigold

• Several oral medications can be used including Dapsone, Prednisone , and Imuran. These are all very powerful medications with side effects that require your doctor to monitor your blood work at least once a month.
• There is no medical cure for bullous pemphigoid. The condition can be controlled with strong medications. Bullous pemphigoid sometimes gets better on its own and can even disappear completely after a few years.
• When the blisters break, the best thing to put on the blisters is Polysporin or some other antibacterial ointment to prevent infection. See wound care .
• Corticosteroids are the treatment of choice. They are given by mouth or by injection. Topical (applied to a localized area of the skin) corticosteroids may also be used on early, localized lesions.
• Oral steroids (prednisone, prednisolone) are the treatment of choice for severe cases