title: Successful treatment with mycophenolate mofetil of four Japanese patients with pemphigus vulgaris.
abstract: Mycophenolate mofetil has been used as an immunosuppressive agent to prevent acute rejection in kidney transplantation since the early 1990s. There are several reports that mycophenolate mofetil is effective in autoimmune bullous diseases including pemphigus vulgaris in combination with high doses of systemic corticosteroids or as a monotherapy. In Japan, however, there are few reports of pemphigus vulgaris treated with mycophenolate mofetil. The present study showed that mycophenolate mofetil treatment combined with systemic corticosteroid was successful in four Japanese patients with pemphigus vulgaris who were refractory to therapies including systemic corticosteroids, plasmapheresis, and oral immunosuppressives. For Japanese and European patients, mycophenolate mofetil may be an excellent therapy in a combination with systemic corticosteroid for refractory patients with pemphigus vulgaris.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67 Asahimachi, Kurume, Fukuoka 830-0011, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.forename: Norito
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karashima
authors.forename: Takekuni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakama
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yasumoto
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid