Ocular involvement in pemphigus.
OBJECTIVE
To report the occurrence of ocular involvement in the setting of pemphigus and discuss its relationship with disease activity and prognostic significance.


METHODS
Retrospective case reports.


METHODS
Five patients, aged 38 to 65 years, diagnosed with pemphigus according to clinical, histopathologic, and immunopathologic criteria (n = 4 pemphigus vulgaris; n = 1 superficial pemphigus) developed ocular symptoms and signs consistent with the disease, ranging from mild conjunctivitis to blisters and prominent erosions of the bulbar/palpebral conjunctiva or at the eyelid margin.


RESULTS
Ocular involvement in our series mostly followed skin disease or represented the stigmata of quiescent localized pemphigus. One of five patients had fatal outcome from myocardial infarction, whereas in the remaining cases significant improvement was achieved with oral prednisolone.


CONCLUSIONS
Ocular pemphigus is probably underdiagnosed and its frequency appears underestimated. It does not seem to correlate with disease severity, but may persist chronically after healing of cutaneous lesion.
Palleschi
Giovanni Maria
GM
Department of Dermatological Sciences, University of Florence, Via della Pergolla, Florence, Italy.
Giomi
Barbara
B
Fabbri
Paolo
P
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D003229:Conjunctival Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D005141:Eyelid Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011239:Prednisolone