What causes paraneoplastic pemphigus?
An autoimmune disorder is a disease in which an individual’s immune system starts reacting against his or her own tissue. The building block cells of the epidermis are called keratinocytes. These cells are cemented together at special sticky spots called desmosomes. In paraneoplastic pemphigus and other types of pemphigus there are autoantibodies to a component of the desmosomes. These cause the keratinocytes to separate from each other. The gap fills with fluid, causing a blister or the skin may peel off leaving raw areas.
