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Deposits of immunoglobulins at the dermo‐epidermal junction in chronic light‐exposed skin: what is the value of the lupus band test?
Author(s) -
GRUSCHWITZ M.,
KELLER J.,
HORNSTEIN O. P.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
clinical and experimental dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1365-2230
pISSN - 0307-6938
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2230.1988.tb00710.x
Subject(s) - dermatology , test (biology) , value (mathematics) , medicine , computer science , biology , paleontology , machine learning
Summary The effect of sunlight on the formation of functional deposits of immunoglobulins was studied using direct immunofluorescence in actinic keratosis as a model of a chronic, light‐dependent dermatosis. Biopsies of lesions, of non‐lesional tight‐exposed (back of the hand) and of sun‐protected (inside upper arm) areas from the same patient were examined. We could demonstrate functional deposits of IgM in most lesions of actinic keratosis (88%) and also in light‐exposed non‐lesional skin (80%), but only rarely complement or other immunoglobulins in lesional and non‐lesional skin. The results of direct immunofluorescence in patients with active keratoses (25 cases) were qualitatively and semiquantitatively compared with functional deposits typical of chronic discoid lupus erythematosus (10 cases) by differentiating four types of immunofluorescence pattern (1‐4). Stronger IF (type 3 or 4) was mainly, but not exclusively, seen in lupus erythematosus, type 1 or 2 often in actinic keratosis. Thus the examination of junctional IF in CDLE requires clear morphological criteria for the immunohistological diagnosis to prevent invalidation of the lupus hand test.