title: Pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus: similar prognosis?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pemphigus is a rare, life-threatening, acquired autoimmune bullous dermatosis. The prognosis of pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is usually regarded as more favourable than that of pemphigus vulgaris (PV). Our study aims to compare the clinical course of PV and PF in 37 patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective study over a period of eight years (1994-2001). The patients were referred during this period and were followed until December 2003. PF and PV were included based on clinical, histological and immunopathological criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our study there was no significant difference between PF group and PV group concerning; age, sex, duration of the disease, presence of disseminated lesions, treatment, healing time, remission, relapse, complications, death and follows up duration. The survival graph showed no difference between the two groups for the first two relapses. There was a tendency to significance concerning an additional treatment and relapses frequency in the PF group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Few studies in the literature were interested in the evolution of the two forms of pemphigus. They showed that the two populations share the same clinical course; nevertheless they revealed the frequency of partial remission, failed treatment, relapses, necessity of high dose of corticosteroids, and difficulties of discontinuing treatment in PF. Our study, suggests that PF and PV may share the same clinical course.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, La Rabta Hospital, Jabbari, The National Public Health Institute, Department of Anatomopathology, Pasteur Institute, Jabbari, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zaraa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mokni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hsairi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boubaker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sellami
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zitouni
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Makni
authors.forename: A Ben Osman
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Dhahri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D051183:Desmoglein 1 / Q000276:immunology; D051184:Desmoglein 3 / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies