Barbara Horváth (editor) - Autoimmune Bullous Diseases: Text and Review

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Almost 5 years ago the first edition of Autoimmune Bullous Diseases study guide, edited by the late Professor Marcel Jonkman, was published. The right concept of the book was proven by its popularity, with more than 20,000 downloads of the electronic version.

However, a lot has happened in the past 5 years, both inside and outside the blistering world.

Unfortunately, Professor Marcel Jonkman passed away in 2019 due to an uncurable disease, but his legacy stayed anchored at the Center for Blistering Diseases in Groningen.

Therefore, the team in Groningen happily contributed to the second edition of this study book. We have kept the main case-based structure of the book, presenting it more as a handbook. The aim is to help clinicians in daily practice to diagnose and treat patients, rather than to provide a dry overview of the latest scientific developments. Moreover, this book became an essential resource for trainees in dermatology worldwide and for dermatologist aiming to refresh their knowledge.

Despite the fact that the basic principles of Autoimmune Bullous Diseases (AIBDs) are unchanged, we have updated the content based on current developments in diagnostics and management of AIBDs, which are still potentially life-threating diseases with an enormous impact on patients lives. In the last decade, lots of efforts have been made by international organizations to create solid evidence in clinical trials and to publish several guidelines.

New assays, invented by our own immunodermatology laboratory, are described in the diagnostic part.

The treatment of AIBDs, especially of pemphigus, is revolutionized by the approval of rituximab for pemphigus vulgaris. Therefore, rituximab received a more pronounced place in this book (Chapter Pemphigus Vulgaris). Furthermore, with the introduction of new therapies such as novel antidiabetics or immune checkpoint inhibitors, more AIBDs are diagnosed as an adverse event in daily practice. Therefore, we adjusted the chapters on drug-induced AIBDs. Finally, two new chapters were added. First, the new chapter Autoimmune Bullous Diseases in Childhood aims to raise awareness for blistering cases other than epidermolysis bullosa or linear IgA disease in children. Second, we have written a chapter with the focus on Wound care in Autoimmune Bullous Diseases since this is crucial in the management of AIBDs but often forgotten.

I would like to thank my colleagues of the Center for Blistering Diseases and the authors for reviewing and updating the content of the first edition. I wish to thank Mrs. Katarina Ondrekova for the assistance regarding this process, and Prakash Jagannathan from Springers office for the skillful editing. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to all of our patients trusting in our knowledge and care and participating in our common effort to improve the management of autoimmune bullous diseases.