Erythema multiforme is a chronic, inflammatory mucocutaneous disease that can occur in both genders at any age. Although the cause remains obscure, a wide range of
antigens and factors, including herpesvirus and other
infections, has been suggested as triggering the disease. In the present study of 95 patients, we found that patients with oral involvement alone tend to predominate over those who have oral and lip, or oral, lip, and
skin disease. There were also more women than men. Our study further confirmed that
erythema multiforme cannot be characterized solely as a disease that is cyclical and self-limiting. The dramatic response to
corticosteroids and to the immunoregulating agent
levamisole, as well as the fact that patients with
erythema multiforme are otherwise essentially healthy, suggests that
erythema multiforme may be caused by a transient autoimmune defect, possibly triggered by multiple factors. Because 19 patients with
oral candidiasis responded to antifungal
therapy, a possible antigenic role for these organisms is suggested.