title: A clinical study of patients with pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceous: an 11-year retrospective study (1996-2006).
abstract: Only a few reports have been published of detailed clinical studies of pemphigus in Japan. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics of patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceous (PF), who were newly diagnosed in the dermatology department of Kurume University Hospital, Japan, over the past 11 years. The primary site of involvement was the oral mucosa in 21 patients (75%) with PV. At the initial visit, most of the patients with PV had moderate to severe disease. With regard to management, systemic corticosteroids were the mainstay of treatment for patients with PV, and plasmapheresis was the most frequently used adjuvant therapy. Dapsone was the mainstay of treatment for the patients with PF. The patients were investigated for any association with an underlying malignancy; in patients with PV, lung, stomach and uterine cancers (one patient each) were seen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan. norito@med.kurume-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maeyama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karashima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakama
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kusuhara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yasumoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003622:Dapsone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D003622:Dapsone