Itchy, blistering rash in pregnancy: pemphigoid gestationis.
Bryanda Woods, Madeline Folke, Julia Griffin et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
A woman in her 30s developed an intensely itchy blistering eruption one day after delivery. Routine histopathology was nondiagnostic, but direct immunofluorescence showed linear complement deposition along the basement membrane, confirming pemphigoid gestationis. The report emphasizes that postpartum onset can complicate recognition and that immunofluorescence can establish the diagnosis when histology is inconclusive. Neonatal monitoring was also highlighted because transient blistering may occur following transplacental antibody transfer.
What made this case unusual
The eruption began postpartum, and routine histopathology did not distinguish the diagnosis; direct immunofluorescence provided the confirming evidence.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
In a pregnant or postpartum patient with blistering, consider autoimmune blistering disease; when routine histopathology is nondiagnostic, direct immunofluorescence may confirm pemphigoid gestationis.
Why it matters
Neonates should be examined for transient blistering associated with transplacental antibody transfer.