Vaccine–induced childhood pemphigus vulgaris: A case report in a 5-year-old female child

Abstract

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an immunobullous disease affecting the skin and mucosa. It is a disease most commonly manifesting in the third–fifth decades of life. Pediatric PV is rare and usually seen at a mean age of 12 years. Early childhood PV is extremely rare with only few cases reported. There are various inducers of PV in children. Diphtheria toxoid (DT) has rarely been reported as an inducer of PV. We report a 5-year-old female child who developed vesiculobullous mucocutaneous lesions after DT vaccination. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology and immunofluorescence. She was treated with pulse methylprednisolone therapy and daily dose azathioprine.

Keywords

• early childhood
• pemphigus vulgaris
• postvaccination