Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita. Direct immunofluorescence and ultrastructural studies.

A case of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA), associated with inflammatory bowel disease in which cicatricial alopecia was present, was studied by electron microscopy and direct immunofluorescence microscopy. Direct immunofluorescence studies were performed on both clinically normal and perilesional skin, with and without previous separation of the epidermis from the dermis by incubation with 1 M sodium chloride. We propose the use of this separation technique to identify the level of antibody deposition in patients with EBA in whom circulating antibodies are lacking. This technique may be particularly beneficial in delineating between EBA and the clinically similar scarring localized forms of bullous pemphigoid in which circulating antibodies are often absent.