Article · Volume 16, Issue 3 · pp. 597–600

Autoimmune Unraveling: Phenobarbital-Associated Pemphigus Vulgaris Case Report

Prajnashree Acharya¹, Sanatkumar Bharamu Nyamagoud¹, Amisha Netalakar², Triveni Jagadish Umarani², Neeraj Hiremath², Dayana B M¹, Agadi Hiremath Viswanatha Swamy¹

¹Department of Pharmacy Practice, KLE College of Pharmacy, Vidyanagar, Hubballi. A Constituent Unit of KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi, Karnataka, INDIA.
²PharmD Interns, KLE College of Pharmacy, Vidyanagar, Hubballi. A Constituent Unit of KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi, Karnataka, INDIA.

Abstract

This case report presents the clinical scenario of a 22 years old female patient with decade long history of seizure disorder and is on chronic anti-seizure management therapy. The patient’s initial symptoms manifested as lesions over the oral cavity, over the period of time the lesions progressed to scalp, chest and buttocks. Pemphigus is a rare heterogeneous group of autoimmune disease that affects the skin and the mucous membrane. A combination of inappropriate activation of host B lymphocytes producing intracellular ImmunoglobulinG antibodies and biochemical interactions results in the drug-induced pemphigus. Acantholypsia is the term for the process by which these auto antibodies target the desmogleins and split the cells in the epidermis. This case emphasizes the requisite for further research on understanding the effect of anti-seizure therapy.

Keywords: Barbiturates; Blister; Desmosomes; Epidermis; Lymphocytes

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