Abstract
The oral mucosa can be affected by many diseases of different origin, nature and severity. These diseases can be completely benign or serious, including malignant tumors. One group of diseases with manifestations in the oral cavity are vesicular diseases of autoimmune origin, also known as mucocutaneous diseases. These are manifested in the oral cavity primarily by the formation of blisters, which soon rupture and disappear, turning into mucosal defects - erosions to ulcerations, accompanied by variously intense subjective discomfort. These diseases usually have a subacute course and are not accompanied by general symptoms such as fever, reactive inflammation or enlarged regional lymph nodes. On the other hand, they are quite often accompanied by prolonged, restricted food intake and associated with significant weight loss over a relatively short period of several months.
The mucosa of the oral cavity is often the first site of the manifestations of autoimmune blistering mucocutaneous diseases, preceding the involvement of the skin, including the hair, and other mucous membranes (conjunctiva, nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, genitalia and anus). In some cases, oral mucosal involvement is the only manifestation of the disease. Diagnosis of these diseases is often late, as their clinical picture may be confused with other mucosal defects of different origin, such as recurrent aphthae, erythema multiforme, viral and fungal diseases, and squamous cell carcinomas of the oral mucosa, due to less than optimal knowledge of the subject. However, early diagnosis of the initial manifestations of these diseases is very important for their prognosis and therapy.