Bullous pemphigoid associated with silicosis

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) has never before been reported to associate with si licosis, although there are numerous reports of silicosis accompanied by di fferent autoimmune diseases, such as systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus ery thematosus, dermatomyositis or rheumatoid arthritis. We report on a 63-year -old Japanese patient with silicosis who developed tensed bullae, erosions and macular pigmentation on the trunk and extremities. Indirect immunofluor escence revealed anti-basement-membrane-zone antibodies; immunoblotting ana lysis demonstrated that the patient's serum reacted with the 230-kD BP anti gen in the epidermal extracts, as well as a recombinant protein of the NC16 a domain of 180-kD BP antigen. Clinical symptoms improved after treatment w ith systemic steroids. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first repo rted case of BP associated with silicosis. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.