title: An open clinical trial of sulphamethoxypyridazine in the treatment of mucous membrane pemphigoid.
abstract: Twenty-five patients with mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP), whose oral lesions were unresponsive to topical steroid treatment, were treated with 1 g daily of sulphamethoxypyridazine (SMXP), a long-acting sulphonamide antibiotic, in an open prospective clinical trial. Lesion severity was assessed objectively in a semiquantitative fashion before treatment and after 14 weeks of treatment. The patient's subjective assessment of the associated pain or discomfort, using a visual analogue scale, was also recorded at these times. Three patients (12%) were withdrawn from the study owing to side-effects or complications, one due to an allergic reaction, the other two because of significant haemolysis. For the remainder there was a significant improvement in the mean objective clinical scores for desquamative gingivitis, other oral lesions, conjunctival inflammation, nasal, vulvovaginal and skin involvement, after 14 weeks treatment with SMXP (all P < 0.001, except skin P < 0. 01). Only conjunctival scarring showed no improvement. In addition, there was a significant improvement (P < 0.001) in the pain scores for the mouth, eyes, nose, vulvovaginal region and skin. The results indicate that with appropriate monitoring SMXP is an effective treatment for MMP and compares favourably with other systemic agents used in the management of this condition.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Oral Medicine, St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, U.K. m.h.thornhill@mds.gmw.ac.uk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thornhill
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pemberton
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Buchanan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Theaker
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010390:Pemphigoid, Benign Mucous Membrane / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013421:Sulfamethoxypyridazine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D013421:Sulfamethoxypyridazine