Dystrophic Epidermolysis Essay

Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Introduction

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa is one of the major forms of Epidermolysis Bullosa. In minor cases, blistering affects the hands, feet, knees, and elbows. Severe cases involve widespread blistering that can lead to vision loss, disfigurement, and other serious medical problems. DEB is caused by changes in the type VII collagen gene that may be inherited as a dominant or recessive subtype. Some patients might even need nutritional supplements, occupational therapy or surgery depending on the severity of their condition. The article addresses the current standards of managing chronic wounds in DEB as well as developing therapies that may possibly lead to the ability to cure this heritable skin disease.

Context

In DEB, the constant care of multiple wounds at different healing stages can be complicated. Blisters occur after minor friction or stress and can spread rapidly. That’s why blisters should be cut, drained, and covered to prevent

Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa is one of the major forms of EB and can be inherited in an autosomal recessive or dominant pattern. The recessive DEB variants tend to be more severe clinically. The understanding of the pathophysiology of Epidermolysis bullosa has increased and significant advances have been made toward treating and preventing wounds. EB is very complicated so it is unlikely a single treatment will reverse the clinical phenotype. New pharmacotherapies are being investigated to treat and prevent some of the effects of EB and have shown rapid advances in the arena of regenerative medicine. Several of these advances are being utilized in the clinical setting today but there are so few RDEB patients that clinical trials aren’t able to confirm the safety and effectiveness of these