ABSTRACT
The so-called ‘bullous eruptions’ comprise a group of skin disorders in which one of the main features is a bulla or blister. The definition of the bullous disorders is somewhat arbitrary, because many other skin disorders which are definite entities may also exhibit blisters as one of the features of their presentation, e.g. insect bites, erythema multiforme, impetigo, fungal and viral infections and eczema. The three diseases grouped as ‘bullous’ in the latter half of the 19th century were dermatitis herpetiformis, pemphigus and pemphigoid, and were not distinguished from each other. However, it is possible that an environmental factor may trigger the autoimmune reaction and may even maintain it. Thus, in ‘so-called’ autoimmune diseases the pathological process is initiated by an external agent, the damage to the tissues results in the development of neoepitopes to which antibodies develop and these antibodies can be pathogenic and maintain the disease.
