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A Pattern Poorly Recognized in Medicine

Esther O'Regan, FDSRCS; Anita Bane, MRCPath; Stephen Flint, MB, PhD; Conrad Timon, FRCS; Mary Toner, FRCPath

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;130:469-472.

Linear IgA disease is a subepidermal blistering disorder of unknown cause. Along with dermatologic blistering, other manifestations include oral ulceration and desquamative gingivitis. We present a case of linear IgA disease that manifested simply as oropharyngeal ulceration and desquamative gingivitis, resulting in considerable delay in diagnosis and treatment. This article (1) highlights the difficulties of diagnosing linear IgA disease when the predominant presenting features are mucosal and (2) reviews the current literature regarding linear IgA disease.

From the Department of Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, and Oral Pathology, Dublin Dental School and Hospital (Drs O'Regan, Flint, and Toner), and Departments of Histopathology (Dr Bane) and Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (Dr Timon), St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. The authors have no relevant financial interest in this article.