CASE REPORT article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1648829
This article is part of the Research TopicNew Insights into Inflammation Driven Autoimmune Skin Disorders: Trends and ChallengesView all 11 articles
OCCUPATIONAL BULLOUS DERMATOSIS: FIRST REPORT OF PVC WELDING FUME-INDUCED SKIN LESIONS IN A MANUFACTURING WORKER
Provisionally accepted
Angela Stufano1
Piero Lovreglio2*
Gerardo Cazzato2
Paolo Danza2Riccardo Ravallese2Nicoletta Cassano2Gino Antonio Vena2Francesca Ambrogio2Benedetta Tironi2Caterina Foti2- 1Universita degli Studi di Foggia Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Foggia, Italy
- 2Universita degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
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Bullous dermatoses encompass a group of disorders marked by blister formation on the skin and/or mucosa with diverse etiologies. This case report aims to describe a rare occupationally induced bullous dermatosis in a worker exposed to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) welding fumes, and to highlight the need for improved protective measures in industrial environments.A 48-year-old male employed in a PVC manufacturing plant developed recurrent bullous skin lesions on the hands, face, and neck after operating a PVC film-welding machine without personal protective equipment. Clinical evaluation included was supported by histopathology, direct and indirect immunofluorescence, serologic testing (ELISA for anti-desmoglein-1, anti-desmoglein-3, BP230, and BP180), and a porphyrin screen. Patch tests and autoimmunity screening were also performed.Direct immunofluorescence revealed linear C3 and IgG deposits along the basement membrane zone, consistent with a bullous pemphigoid-like pattern, while other autoimmune autoimmunity markers were negative. Complete remission of lesions occurred after cessation of exposure and job reassignment, without the need for ongoing pharmacologic treatment. A clear "stop-restart" relationship between exposure and symptoms supported a causal link.This case represents report describes the first documented instance case of bullous dermatosis triggered by occupational exposure to PVC welding fumes. The findings emphasize the relevance of occupational assessment in unusual dermatologic presentations and support the implementation of adequate protective measures and exposure monitoring in high-risk settings.
Keywords: occupational dermatoses, Bullous pemphigoid, Bullous dermatosis, PVC welding fumes, Chemical exposure
Received: 17 Jun 2025; Accepted: 09 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Stufano, Lovreglio, Cazzato, Danza, Ravallese, Cassano, Vena, Ambrogio, Tironi and Foti. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Piero Lovreglio, piero.lovreglio@uniba.it
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