Prolonged remission after immunosuppressive therapy in six dogs with pemphigus foliaceus.
Limited information is available on the long-term outcome of treatment of pemphigus foliaceus in dogs. The purpose of this study is to report that a prolonged remission can occur after discontinuation of immunosuppressive regimens in some animals with this disease. Six dogs were diagnosed with pemphigus foliaceus based on suggestive clinical signs and histopathology. These patients were treated either with immunosuppressive doses of oral glucocorticoids or with a combination of oral glucocorticoids and azathioprine. After clinical signs underwent complete remission, which occurred 1.5-5 months after immunosuppression was initiated, the drugs were tapered progressively and eventually withdrawn. The total duration of immunosuppressive therapy varied between 3 and 22 months. Skin lesions of pemphigus foliaceus did not recur for 1.5-6 years after treatment was stopped. These observations suggest that, in some dogs with pemphigus foliaceus, immunosuppression can lead to long-term remission of skin lesions, and that discontinuation of treatment is not necessarily followed by a recurrence of clinical signs.
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 4700 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA. thierry_olivry@ncsu.edu
Thierry
T
Olivry
Kerstin E
KE
Bergvall
Barbara A
BA
Atlee
D000818:Animals; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D011996:Records / Q000662:veterinary; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D001379:Azathioprine