Annular lipoatrophy of the ankles.

Lipoatrophic panniculitis likely represents a group of disorders characterized by an inflammatory panniculitis followed by lipoatrophy. It occurs locally in a variety of settings and has been reported in the literature under various terms, including annular atrophic connective tissue panniculitis of the ankles, annular and semicircular lipoatrophy, abdominal lipoatrophy, and connective tissue panniculitis. Herein, a case of annular lipoatrophy of the ankles is described in a 6-year-old girl with autoimmune thyroid disease.

Identification of a potential effector function for IgE autoantibodies in the organ-specific autoimmune disease bullous pemphigoid.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune skin disease characterized by autoantibodies against the hemidesmosomal protein BP180. In addition to IgG autoantibodies, IgE class autoantibodies have been reported in BP patients. Because animal models utilizing only IgG antibodies do not totally replicate human BP, we examined the specificity and potential relevance of IgE autoantibodies in this disease.