title: [Gold. Effective therapy for mucosal lesions of pemphigus vulgaris].
abstract: High-dose steroids in combination with other immunosuppressant substances, usually azathioprine, are the therapy of choice in pemphigus vulgaris. Complete remission can be difficult to achieve, with mucosal lesions often recalcitrant. We describe two patients in whom gold in the form of sodium aurothiomalate was effective in resolving mucosal lesions. Initially both patients were treated with high-dose corticosteroids, one in combination with mycophenolate mofetil. Their oral lesions proved to be stubborn but responded well to intramuscular gold, which also showed a steroid-sparing effect, so that the dosage of corticosteroids could be reduced to a minimum. Sodium aurothiomalate was continued until both patients were in remission without any side effects.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinik und Poliklinik für Dermatologie und Venerologie, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale).
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meiss
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fiedler
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Treiber
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Marsch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005260:Female; D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013280:Stomatitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D006052:Gold Sodium Thiomalate