Seborrheic Pemphigus, Antigen Mimicry and the Subsequent-Wrong Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approach?

It is well-established that drugs could be leading cause of occurrence of numerous diseases, including pemphigus, being either inducer or triggering factor of the autoimmunity. Despite medications, it should be kept in mind that chronic or acute infections are also capable of being a trigger in various types of cutaneous eruptions, including pemphigus. The rapidly obtained and uncompleted history for accompanied medication leads to general mistakes in the subsequent treatment approach, as the first step in such cases is discontinuation of the drug-inductor. The absence of this information guaranties the fail of the treatment. On the other hand, the lack of performed screening for chronic or acute hepatitis and tuberculosis is not the only mistake, regarding the high dosage of immunosuppressors that have been planned as regiment and the possible fatal effect on the infection’s spread or exacerbation, but also because of the possible triggering ability of chronic or acute infection, which may play also a key role in the generation of antigen- or molecular- mimicry, as a potential source of antibodies reactive with various tissue antigens. It turns out that although the diagnosis of pemphigus in regular cases is usually not a challenge, the treatment occasionally could be, just because of a simple pitfall in anamnesis and screening, as in the presented case. Herein, we present a case of a patient with seborrheic pemphigus, which is strongly demonstrative for these statements, as we want to emphasise the importance of the first and the most powerful clinician’s weapons – the patient’s history and thorough examination.