Successful treatment of pemphigus vulgaris with etanercept in four patients.
Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune disease characterized by intraepidermal blister formation. The treatment of pemphigus vulgaris is generally regarded as difficult. Corticosteroids, the drug class of first choice, often must be combined with steroid-sparing agents to prevent hazardous, long-term side effects. The authors describe four patients with severe pemphigus vulgaris who were treated with the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha antagonist, etanercept, twice weekly. In all four cases, the addition of etanercept produced dramatic clinical improvement and facilitated the reduction of corticosteroids necessary to maintain symptom control. Thus, etanercept may be an effective therapeutic agent for pemphigus vulgaris and should be considered as an alternative treatment option for patients presenting with recalcitrant disease.
University of South Florida College of Medicine,Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
Anjali
A
Shetty
Catherine B
CB
Marcum
L Frank
LF
Glass
John D
JD
Carter
D000328:Adult; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000068800:Etanercept; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011241:Prednisone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000068800:Etanercept; D011241:Prednisone