Development of bullous pemphigoid after change of dialysis membrane.

A 75-year-old Japanese man presented with pruritic blisters and macules on his trunk and extremities. He had been on hemodialysis for 4 years because of chronic renal failure, and in recent months, a polymethylmethacrylate membrane had been used for dialysis. After a change in dialysis membrane to a cellulose triacetate membrane, pruritic tense blisters developed on the extremities in combination with marked blood eosinophilia. Physical examination showed erythematous macules and tense blisters on the trunk and extremities. A biopsy specimen of an erythematous macule showed subepidermal vesicles and eosinophils that attached to the dermal-epidermal junction. Serum level of eosinophilic cationic protein was elevated. From clinical, histological, and immunological findings, a diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid was made. New blisters continued to erupt during the period in which the patient used the cellulose triacetate membrane dialyzer, and even after the use of clobetasol propionate. It resolved only after the patient came back to the use of a synthetic membrane dialyzer. We discontinued the use of clobetasol propionate, and neither bullous eruptions nor blood eosinophilia recurred. These observations suggest that cellulose membrane may be involved in the development of bullous pemphigoid through activation of eosinophils in the blood and the skin lesion, as in the present case.

Clinical correlations with dermatomyositis-specific autoantibodies in adult Japanese patients with dermatomyositis: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the association of clinical and prognostic features with dermatomyositis (DM)-specific autoantibodies (Abs) in adult Japanese patients with DM. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science Department of Dermatology and collaborating medical centers. Patients A total of 376 consecutive adult Japanese patients with DM who visited our hospital or collaborating medical centers between 2003 and 2008. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical and laboratory characteristics of adult Japanese patients with DM and DM-specific Abs that include Abs against Mi-2, 155/140, and CADM-140. RESULTS: In patients with DM, anti-Mi-2, anti-155/140, and anti-CADM-140 were detected in 9 (2%), 25 (7%), and 43 (11%), respectively. These DM-specific Abs were mutually exclusive and were detected in none of 34 patients with polymyositis, 326 with systemic sclerosis, and 97 with systemic lupus erythematosus. Anti-Mi-2 was associated with classical DM without interstitial lung disease or malignancy, whereas anti-155/140 was associated with malignancy. Patients with anti-CADM-140 frequently had clinically amyopathic DM and rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease. Cumulative survival rates were more favorable in patients with anti-Mi-2 compared with those with anti-155/140 or anti-CADM-140 (P < .01 for both comparisons). Nearly all deaths occurred within 1 year after diagnosis in patients with anti-CADM-140. Conclusion Dermatomyositis-specific Abs define clinically distinct subsets and are useful for predicting clinical outcomes in patients with DM.