[Trumpet nail deformity during the course of Dowling-Meara type epidermolysis bullosa simplex. A report of two cases].

INTRODUCTION

We report two patients with Dowling-Meara type epidermolysis bullosa simplex: who had trumpet nail deformity.

CASE REPORTS: Two 75 and 72 year-old sisters, had flare-ups of epidermolysis bullosa simplex since childhood. The aspect of the lesions and electron microscopy were in favour of the diagnosis of the Dowling-Meara variant of epidermolysis bullosa simplex. Both women had several fingernails with pincer and trumpet nail deformities. There were no such signs among the other siblings, who had never had epidermolysis.

DISCUSSION: Nail involvement is not rare during the course of superficial epidermolysis bullosa. The trumpet lesions appear to be relatively specific to the present two cases of epidermolysis bullosa simplex. The electron microscopic findings of these two cases were also noteworthy, with whisk-like but not round clumping of the perinuclear tonofilaments.