Demographic, Clinical, and Paraclinical Characteristics of Patients with Pemphigus Vulgaris Needing Hospital Admission during the Years 2006-2017

Abstract

Background: Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune disorder, which appears as a mucosal intracutaneous blister. The disease prevalence is different in various countries and regions. Therefore, identification of the prevalence and characteristics of patients with this disease in different climates can be useful in initiating early treatment and management, and reducing the mortality. So, the aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of Pemphigus vulgaris in Isfahan City, Iran during a ten-year period. Methods: In this descriptive retrospective study, 114 patients with Pemphigus vulgaris who were admitted in Alzahra hospital in Isfahan during the years of 2006-2017 were studied. Demographic, clinical, and paraclinical data were recorded, and the results were reported using SPSS software. Findings: Of 114 patients, 78 (68.4%) were women and (31.6%) 36 were men, with a mean age of 49.15 ± 12.55 years. Type of the lesion was mucosal and vegetative in 14.9%, cutaneous in 24.4%, and both mucosal and cutaneous in 60.5%. In addition, the prevalence of this disease in the spring and summer was 31.6% and 27.2%, respectively. Most patients were treated with prednisolone and Azaram drugs, which were associated with complications in 17.8%; but eventually all patients recovered and no mortality occurred during this assessment. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the prevalence of this disease in women was more than men, and most of them appeared in spring and summer as cutaneous-mucosal manifestations. Therefore, it seems that more research is needed on the prevalence of this disease and its manifestations, the season of more prevalence, and successful treatments.

Keywords

• Pemphigus vulgaris
• Epidemiology
• Demographic factors
• Signs and symptoms