Pemphigoid Gestationis Differential Diagnoses

Updated: May 25, 2022
  • Author: Richard Harold "Hal" Flowers, IV, MD; Chief Editor: William D James, MD  more...
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DDx

Diagnostic Considerations

Pemphigoid gestationis shares common clinical features with other dermatoses of pregnancy, making diagnosis difficult in absence of overt bullae. The criteria for diagnosis include a compatible clinical picture, the observation of a subepidermal blistering disease upon histopathologic evaluation, and a linear band of C3 at the dermal-epidermal junction detected by direct immunofluorescence (DIF). DIF can be especially helpful in distinguishing between pemphigoid gestationis and polymorphic eruption of pregnancy.

Differential Diagnoses