Review article
https://doi.org/10.15644/asc59/2/8
A 10-Year Observational Study on Treatment Approaches in Pemphigus and Pemphigoid
Cristiana Palmela Pereira
orcid.org/0000-0002-9164-7189
; Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal; Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal; University of Zagreb School of Dental Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Rui Santos
orcid.org/0000-0002-7371-363X
; Higher School of Technology and Management, Polytechnic of Leiria, Portugal
Leonor Ferreira
; Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Matilde Martins
; Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Ana Rodrigues
; Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Diana Augusto
; Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Paulo Filipe
; Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate epidemiological data on pemphigus vulgaris and
pemphigoid, with special focus on characteristics, clinical manifestations, and treatment approaches. Materials and methods: This study includes patients who have been diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris or pemphigoid at the Dermatology Service of the Santa Maria Local Health Unit between the years 2013 and 2022. The statistical software IBM SPSS® version 29, with Clopper-Pearson 95% confidence intervals (CI) was used for proportions. Results: The total number of patients included in this study is 99 patients with pemphigus vulgaris (49 females, 50 males) and 227 with pemphigoid patients (108 females, 119 males). Patients who have been treated for pemphigus vulgaris, the most prescribed medicine were corticosteroids, followed by the second most prescribed, drugs which were
immunosuppressants. Additionally rituximab was used in 21 patients. The interval of the disease was 304 days; with an interval of no symptom disease was 415 days for relapsed patients. Similarly, for pemphigoid, the primary treatment used was with corticosteroids, which were also used for the main treatment, in many cases it was combined with other medicines, such as: antihistamines, antibiotics, and immunosuppressants. The average cure time was 148 days, with 32.0% of patients claiming they experienced relapse. Conclusion: To conclude, we observed that corticosteroids, particularly prednisolone, remain still the most important pharmacological treatment for pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigoid. However, rituximab is an effective pharmacological alternative for pemphigus, while the use of clobetasol propionate is increasing and becoming as one of the preferred treatments for pemphigoid.
Keywords
Vesiculobullous Skin Disease; Pemphigus; Pemphigoid; Drug Therapy; Vesiculobullous diseases; Pemphigus Vulgaris; . Pharmacological Treatment
Hrčak ID:
332255
URI
Publication date:
19.6.2025.
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