Co-existence of pemphigus vulgaris and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

We report a case of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Direct immunofluorescent studies revealed intercellular deposits of IgG and C3. Both anti-desmoglein (Dsg) 1 and Dsg 3 antibodies were positive in the patient's serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. HLA genotyping was performed from the patient's peripheral blood leukocytes by polymerase chain reaction. HLA-A*02011, -A*2402101, -DQA1*0104, -DQB1*05031 and -DRB1*1405 alleles, which confer strong susceptibility to Japanese patients with PV, were found. HLA-DQA1*0303 which is strongly associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in the Japanese population was also determined.