Autoimmune Skin Diseases | Durham, Raleigh, North Carolina

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Overview

Duke dermatologists diagnose autoimmune skin diseases like pemphigus, pemphigoid, scleroderma, morphea, dermatomyositis, dermatitis herpetiformis, vasculitis, lupus, and Sjögren’s syndrome — all of which occur when the body’s immune system attacks healthy skin. The cause of these diseases is unknown but may relate to problems with the immune response. Our experienced doctors are dedicated to researching the causes of these rare skin diseases, testing new therapies, and providing relief from the itchy, blistering, or painful rashes that may affect the skin, mouth, and eyes.

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About Autoimmune Skin Diseases

Content

Many autoimmune skin diseases are related to disorders that affect other areas of the body. For example:

• Dermatitis herpetiformis is linked to celiac disease, and may cause blisters.
• Scleroderma and morphea cause the skin to become thick and rigid.
• Vasculitis causes inflammation of the blood vessels.
• Lupus can affect the skin, joints, and kidneys.
• Dermatomyositis can cause muscle inflammation and skin rashes.
• Sjögren’s syndrome causes dry mouth, dry eyes, and sometimes dry skin.

Autoimmune Blistering Skin Diseases
These occur when the immune system attacks your healthy tissue. When this happens, skin cells cannot perform their normal functions and may turn into sores, blisters, or rashes. Diseases include bullous pemphigoid, which causes blistering on the body and sometimes in the mouth or eyes, and pemphigus, which causes blistering on the skin and in the mucous membranes in the mouth, nose, or genitals.

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Duke Health offers locations throughout the Triangle. Find one near you.

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Treatments for Autoimmune Skin Diseases

Treatments Overview

While there are no cures for the different types of autoimmune and blistering skin diseases, many treatments are effective at relieving symptoms and slowing the progression of your condition.  

Corticosteroids

Description

Topical (applied directly to the skin) and systemic (taken by mouth) corticosteroids suppress the immune system and slow progression of the disease. May be used for treating milder cases.

Immunosuppressive and Immunomodulatory Medications

Description

These prescription medications change the body’s immune response and control the inflammatory effects of the disease. They require regular physician monitoring.

Rituximab

Description

This biologic medication targets specific areas in the immune system to reduce inflammation. It requires regular physician monitoring.

Intravenous Immunoglobulin

Description

A purified blood product that contains healthy antibodies. This therapy prevents or reduces the severity of infections in patients with weakened immune systems and neutralizes damaging antibodies that target the patient’s own body. May require repeat infusions.

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Tests for Autoimmune Skin Diseases

Physical Exam

Description

Your comprehensive evaluation includes a review of your medical history, a complete skin exam, and a close examination of your rashes, blisters, and other symptoms.

Lab Tests

Description

Your doctor may order blood work to check for autoimmune factors such as antibodies or blood proteins that may be signs of inflammation.

Skin Biopsy

Description

The doctor removes a small sample of skin from an affected area, if necessary, to examine it and make an accurate diagnosis.

Consistently Ranked Among the Nation’s Best Hospitals

Duke University Hospital is proud of our team and the exceptional care they provide. They are why we are once again recognized as the best hospital in North Carolina, and nationally ranked in 11 adult and 9 pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report for 2022–2023.

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Content

Experience
Though these autoimmune blistering skin diseases are rare, our team of experts sees many people with these conditions. We have the skills to make an accurate diagnosis and the knowledge and experience to develop the right treatment plan for you.

A Team of Experts 
Our immunodermatology group provides comprehensive care for patients with immune-mediated skin diseases. We work closely with Duke rheumatologists and many other specialists to provide you with the best possible care.

Research Leading to New Developments
Our dermatologists are involved in studies aimed at understanding the basic causes of these diseases; finding new, more sensitive diagnostic tests; and developing effective treatments. We use these advances to identify the cause of your discomfort and find the right treatment to relieve your symptoms and return you to the activities you enjoy.

Opportunities to Test New Treatments
You may be eligible to participate in our ongoing clinical trials to test new therapies for your condition before they are widely available.

This page was medically reviewed on 09/24/2020 by

Matilda W. Nicholas, MD, PhD
| Dermatologist

Autoimmune Skin Disease: Skin Lupus, Pemphigus, & Other Autoimmune Skin Disorders | University of Utah Health

What Is Autoimmune Disease?

An autoimmune disease is a disorder in which the body is attacking itself. Normally, white blood cells produce antibodies that attack harmful cells as they appear in the body. The opposite happens in autoimmune diseases. Antibodies attack healthy tissues instead of the harmful ones.

This causes many different symptoms that affect the joints, internal organs, and skin.

Clinic Hours

Thursday 7:45 am–5 pm
May be open on different days or hours to better meet your needs.

Location

Midvalley Health Center
243 E 6100 S
Murray, UT 84107

How Does Autoimmune Disease Affect the Skin?

Autoimmune diseases can affect many parts of your body—including your skin. Because it’s so visible, you can often see symptoms of autoimmune disease first on the skin.

Autoimmune Disease Symptoms

These autoimmune skin diseases can show in a variety of ways. Symptoms can include:

• rashes,
• blisters,
• lesions,
• fatigue, and
• scaly patches.

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Types of Autoimmune Skin Diseases

• Behcet’s Disease
• Dermatitis Herpetiformis
• Dermatomyositis
• Lichen Planus
• Linear IgA Disease
• Lupus of the skin
• Morphea/Scleroderma
• Ocular Cicatrical pemphigoid
• Pemphigoid
• Pemphigus
• Vasculitis

Treatment for Autoimmune Skin Diseases

Autoimmune skin diseases cannot be cured, but we can help manage flare ups with treatment. Dermatology services at University of Utah Health offers a specialty autoimmune clinic designed to evaluate and treat patients with autoimmune conditions that affect their skin.

Our patients are treated by multiple board-certified dermatologists who specialize in autoimmune skin diseases. Our dermatologists give each patient extensive evaluation and treatment.

What Autoimmune Diseases Cause Blisters?

Healthy skin will only form a blister after your skin becomes damaged or dead. In skin suffering from an autoimmune blistering disease, your body’s immune system mistakes normal skin tissue for something it needs to fight off, and then attacks this healthy skin tissue. This causes blisters to form.

Several autoimmune skin diseases are responsible for causing skin blistering, including:

• Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita
• IgA-mediated bullous dermatoses
• Ocular cicatrical pemphigoid
• Pemphigoid
• Pemphigus

Referrals for New Patients

If you are a new patient, you will need a referral from your current provider. Your referral should include your demographic information, including your name, date of birth, home address, phone number, and insurance company.

Records about your autoimmune history should be faxed to U of U Health at 801-581-4911 before your first appointment with us. These records should include clinic notes, biopsy reports, lab reports, diagnostic studies, radiographic studies, and treatments.

Please make sure your doctor faxes your referral to:

University of Utah
Department of Dermatology
Attn: Autoimmune Clinic

Phone: 801-581-2955, ask for autoimmune scheduling
Fax: 801-581-4911

We will review referral requests within 48 hours to make sure that the best dermatologist evaluates each case. We will contact new patients about an appointment. 

Treatment of systemic autoimmune skin diseases in Lipetsk

All diseases that appear as a result of the increasing aggressive effect of the cells of the immune system on healthy cells of the human body are called autoimmune diseases. Most often, these diseases are systemic, due to the fact that in the course of them not only a separate organ is affected, but also entire systems of the body, and sometimes the whole organism as a whole. Autoimmune skin diseases are an example of one of the many diseases that are caused by the immune response. In particular, cells of the entire skin of a person are attacked by specific immune bodies due to a failure of general immunity.

Depending on the type of skin disease, there are certain differences in the clinical picture of the course of the disease, which manifests itself in different symptoms and the depth of damage to the cells of the epidermal tissue.

Symptoms of autoimmune skin diseases:

Pemphigus: rash in the form of blisters on various parts of the skin; blisters differ in size, often appear on the mucous membranes and folds of the skin.
Lupus erythematosus: spots of intense red color, often infiltrating and turning into plaques; foci of inflammation are quite painful, when it develops into chronic inflammation, the skin turns pale and thinner.

Scleroderma: bluish or yellowish-brown spots of various sizes; the coverage area is constantly growing, at the peak of the development of the acute phase of the inflammatory process, a plaque forms in the middle of the spot, a scar may appear.

The most common disorders caused by a malfunction of the immune system occur in those patients who have a history of hereditary predisposition. This is associated with gene mutations:

Mutations of the first type: lymphocytes cannot distinguish between cells of a certain type, which leads to the risk of developing the pathology of the organ that was affected by this disease in close relatives. These mutations can cause diabetes, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis.

Mutations of the second type: lymphocytes, being a kind of defenders of the body, begin to multiply uncontrollably, actively attack the cells of various organs, which causes systemic pathologies, in which the process of damage not only to organs, but also to glands, arteries, tissues can take place simultaneously.
Causes of autoimmune skin diseases

Deterioration of the general state of the human immune system is a leading factor in the development of psoriasis. Skin cells begin to be perceived by the immune system as foreign, this provokes their rejection. Often this process is a consequence of burns, abrasions and other damage to the skin.

The prefix “auto” indicates that these diseases occur when a person’s immunity “takes up arms” against his own body or certain types of cells. The immune system is our guardian and protector, which sensitively controls the appearance of foreign substances, microorganisms and tissues that are not characteristic of us from birth. The arrival of such “uninvited” guests causes a violent response of the body – immune cells attack the enemy and seek to destroy it. This is what an autoimmune disease is.

Today, the international medical community is arguing about the origin and treatment of autoimmune diseases. But so far there is no consensus and a categorical answer. The onset of the disease is most often associated with severe stress, severe injury or chronic illness.

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