Autoimmune skin disorders

Autoimmune skin disorders include autoimmune bullous diseases, collagen vascular diseases, alopecia areata, and vitiligo. Lupus erythematosus (LE) is a prototypical autoimmune disorder characterized by the inflammation of the skin, sometimes associated with the involvement of several tissues and the production of autoantibodies directed against nuclear antigens. Scleroderma is a disorder of an autoimmune etiology which can be limited to the skin, as in the localized morphea or scleroderma, or be associated with vascular abnormalities, connective tissue sclerosis, and atrophy and autoimmune changes characterizing progressive systemic sclerosis. Alopecia areata (AA) is a skin disease with characteristic symptoms that include sudden hair loss in restricted areas or on the whole body. Psoriasis is a chronic, hyperproliferative disease of the skin with typical symptoms that include thickened, red, and crusty plaques. Treatment of the major part of these autoimmune disorders is commonly based on systemic corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs.