Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid

Dr. Heddie Sedano

This photo illustrates the left eye of the 67-year-old man whose palatal MMP lesions were previously shown. Note the erythematous conjunctiva and the white scar tissue as a sequel to a previous bulla. Note the absence of cilia especially in the lower eyelid. A small ulcer is seen on the skin of the nose. That lesion was unrelated to MMP.

This photo illustrates the left eye of a 71-year-old man with pure ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (pure OCP). The patient did not have any oral mucosal or skin manifestations. Note the marked conjunctivitis, the cloudy cornea and the absence of cilia. A fibrous white band of soft tissue, extending from the lower eyelid into the cornea can also be seen. Cloudiness of the cornea and fibrous scars are the main complications in pure OCP, which lead to partial or total blindness in many cases. As it can be seen the differential diagnosis between pure OCP and MMP is based in the presence or absence of mucosal lesions and laboratory studies. Pure OCP is characterized by fibrin deposition at the level of the basal membrane (BM) and almost total absence of circulating IgG anti-BM antibodies. These findings are not observed in MMP.