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Epidemiologic observations on the natural course of pemphigus vulgaris
Author(s) -
Kyriakis MD Kyriakos P.,
Tosca MD Androniki D.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-4362.1998.00317.x
Subject(s) - pemphigus vulgaris , medicine , natural history , disease , serology , epidemiology , autoantibody , prospective cohort study , retrospective cohort study , dermatology , pemphigus , immunology , antibody
Background During the last 20 years, few prospective studies on the natural course of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) have been performed. Methods Various correlations of disease duration, clinical activity fluctuations, serology, and coexistence with other disease states were analyzed with regard to their impact upon the natural history of pemphigus. Thirty‐seven consecutive PV patients were involved in this 1‐year retrospective follow‐up study. Results The disease activity decreases with time, but when exacerbated it is of unpredictable intensity; skin involvement is equally distributed between the sexes; relapses occur mostly during the first 2 years after disease onset, and can be marginally predicted by autoantibody titers. Conclusions Notice should be taken of the relative frequencies of PV associated with neoplasia, ionizing radiation, and familial occurrence.