Also called polymorphic erythema , erythema multiforme is one of the many autoimmune pathologies that affect humans. It is characterized by skin lesions that appear and disappear on a recurring basis.
It has various forms of presentation, but we can summarize them in two: the minor and the major. Among the former there are no specific clinical entities, although there are among the older ones, counting, for example, Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
Erythema multiforme can appear at any age, but it is more common in people in their 20s or 30s. In children it is a rare pathology, which is almost never detected. In numerical terms, the incidence is about five new patients per year for every million inhabitants.
Symptoms of erythema multiforme
The condition of erythema multiforme is concentrated in the skin. This turns out to be the organ most affected by the disease, with lesions that are distributed in the external part and in the internal mucous membranes.
The characteristic lesion is an erythema that may blister. Already within the classification of blisters there is a variety, since some patients have bullae and others have vesicles.
The erythema itself is a coloration that tends to red, in the shape of a cockade, with concentric circles. When the disease was first discussed in the mid-1800s, doctors noticed that the rosettes appeared symmetrically, on each side of the body.
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