Have you ever seen this condition before?

[DJTarvin]

I have had an outbreak of blister on my feet.  First on my left foot, which I opened and drained.  I had to repeat this for about three days as it kept filling up and getting bigger.  It became very painful, probably due to the irritation.  This didn't concern me much, until I developed another very small blister on the right big to, left of my toenail.  I did not open this one, as I thought it would just dry up on its own.  Within five days, it grew very rapidly, and now is hugh.  I have since then developed another blister on my right foot below the ankle bone which also has grown very rapidly.  The one on my toe is about 5 inches long down the inside of my foot, and about 3 inches wide covering half of the top of my foot.  I went to my physician who has never seen anything like this and he said after searching his medical books he is still puzzled.  He put me on prednizone 20mgs. for 10 days hoping this will cause them to dry up.  I take 2 a day for 5 days and 1 a day for 5 days.  So far, after taking them for 3 days, no change, only they are not growing as fast.  He said definitely "Not" to open them as they would be likely to be infected; although as large as they are, they could rupture.  Do you have any ideas or have you ever seen anything like this before?  I am sending pictures.

[QuietWonder]

What was the outcome?  Is it EBA. I have EBA and would love to know.

[DJTarvin]

I guess I failed to tell you the the dermatologist that I seen on Friday did drain both of these blisters.  He said if he didn't, they would rupture on their own and that might be worse.  I have had to drain them once since then but he told us how to care for them and they actually look better than I thought they would.  I am in pain of course, but he has me on pain meds to help.  There was so much pressure in the blisters that when he slit them, it was like a faucet.  I think they said the biggest one had about 100cc of fluid in it.  I am keeping a very close eye on them for any signs of infection and also using an prescription ointment on them.  Thank you again and I will keep you updated.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi

EBA appears to be an immune disorder and there seems to be no mention of this condition being transmitted from animals to humans. There seems to be no association between EBA and viral or bacterial infections.

However, being a dog groomer is an interesting aspect of your history as you have pointed out. EBA as a differential may be considered here as this appears to be similar to you presentation. Let us wait for the results of your biopsy. This will shed more light into this.

I hope I am able to help. Do not "pop" the blisters. We do not want any severe scarring and infections to take place here.

Do keep us updated with regards to your progress or for any queries or clarifications.

[DJTarvin]

Thank you for your feed back.  Yes, these blisters occurred abruptly, but all of the outbreaks were not at the same time.  Within one week, about two days apart the blisters appeared.  I had one on the left foot, and two on the right foot.  There was no trauma or friction that caused them, they just appeared for no apparent reason.  I did go to a dermatologist yesterday, 6/21, and he performed biopsies.  I will know in about 7-10 days.  I do appreciate the information that you forwarded to me.  I am a dog groomer, which is interesting, because I read in the information you forwarded, that EBA is mostly found in dogs.  I wonder if it can transfer from dogs to humans?  Any thoughts on that?

                                    

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi

I understand your concern. Has this occurred recently and abruptly? Aside from the lower extremities are other areas involved like the knuckles of the hands ?

One differential I can think of here is epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA). This is an autoimmune disease which is related to the epidermolysis bullosa of infancy. This type of EB usually occurs in adults. It may involve areas wherein trauma or friction are experienced frequently.

This is just a differential as this condition may present similarly with large blisters in affected skin. You may refer to this URL for further reading:

http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic125.htm

I suggest that you discuss this with your dermatologist. A referral to a clinical immunologist or rheumatologist may be necessary. A histopath of the blisters may also be able to ascertain the diagnosis.