Familial pemphigus vulgaris.

A case of familial pemphigus vulgaris is described in an uncle and his niece who developed the disease 18 years apart. The man died from pemphigus in 1964. The diagnosis was confirmed histopathologically in both cases, but immunofluorescent microscopic studies were performed only in the woman because the technique was not available in 1964. HLA typing in the woman and her daughter and sister showed A 26, BW 38 and DRW 4 in all of them. Clinical disease did not develop in the other family members.