RESUMEN
Topical steroids are effective in treating bullous pemphigoid (BP). Autoantibodies against BP180 are related to disease activity, but correlation of these autoantibodies with response to topical steroid therapy has not yet been clearly evaluated. We investigate the usefulness of close and early monitoring of autoantibodies against BP180 and BP230 for assessment of response to therapy and early detection of therapeutic failure in BP patients treated topically. In eight BP patients under treatment with topical or systemic steroid therapy we retrospectively evaluated clinical course and autoantibodies against BP180 and BP230 as well as indirect immunofluorescence titres (IIF). Data were included at diagnosis, during hospitalization and follow-ups. Autoantibodies against BP180 parallel disease activity in all topically and as well as systemically treated patients. Autoantibodies against BP230 correlated in five out of eight patients. Autoantibodies directed against BP180 and, to a lesser degree, against BP230 correlate with the clinical course of topically treated BP patients. Monitoring autoantibodies against BP180 is a useful tool to evaluate the efficacy of topical therapy in BP.
Asunto(s)
Corticoesteroides/administración & dosificación , Autoanticuerpos/sangre , Autoantígenos/inmunología , Distonina/inmunología , Inmunoglobulina G/sangre , Colágenos no Fibrilares/inmunología , Penfigoide Ampolloso/tratamiento farmacológico , Administración Cutánea , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Biomarcadores/sangre , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Penfigoide Ampolloso/sangre , Penfigoide Ampolloso/diagnóstico , Penfigoide Ampolloso/inmunología , Valor Predictivo de las Pruebas , Estudios Retrospectivos , Factores de Tiempo , Resultado del Tratamiento , Colágeno Tipo XVIIRESUMEN
Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is a prevalent, potentially fatal disorder of iron metabolism hallmarked by intestinal hyperabsorption of iron, hyperferremia, and hepatic iron overload. In both humans and mice, type I HH is associated with mutations in the broadly expressed HFE/Hfe gene. To identify where Hfe acts to prevent HH, we generated mice with tissue-specific Hfe ablations. This work demonstrates that local Hfe expression in hepatocytes serves to maintain physiological iron homeostasis, answering a long-standing question in medicine and explaining earlier clinical observations.