title: Pemphigus and pregnancy: a 23-year experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies on the interaction of pemphigus and pregnancy are limited to case reports and small case series. Pregnancy is not rare in Iranian pemphigus patients due to lower age at onset of the disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to investigate the outcome of pregnancy and the course of pemphigus in pemphigus patients in a retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The files of 779 pemphigus women younger than 50 presenting to our center from 1984 till 2006 were examined for any mention of pregnancy. Data related to outcome of pregnancy and the course of the disease were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-six patients with a history of pregnancy were identified. Forty-eight known pemphigus patients experienced one or more pregnancies during their disease (total pregnancy number: 52). The course of pemphigus was as follows in this group: 28 cases (54%) of exacerbation, 15 cases (31%) with no alteration, and 9 cases (17%) showing improvement. The rate of abortion was 9.6% (5 cases). In 18 cases, the disease had started during pregnancy, 2 of them (11%) ended in an abortion. Overall, postpartum flare was seen in 33 cases (47.1%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pemphigus may be exacerbated during or after pregnancy, but often to a mild degree. Although the rate of stillbirth was not as high as previously reported, the rate of abortion was considerable. Pregnancy may have an uneventful course, especially in patients in clinical remission; nevertheless, careful monitoring of the high risk mother and fetus is mandatory.
authors: Department of Dermatology, Bullous Diseases Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. daneshpj@turns.ac.ir
authors: Maryam
authors: M
authors: Daneshpazhooh
authors: Cheyda
authors: C
authors: Chams-Davatchi
authors: Mahin
authors: M
authors: Valikhani
authors: Anita
authors: A
authors: Aghabagheri
authors: Seyed Mohammad Ali
authors: SM
authors: Mortazavizadeh
authors: Masoomeh
authors: M
authors: Barzegari
authors: Maryam
authors: M
authors: Akhyani
authors: Zahra
authors: Z
authors: Hallaji
authors: Nafiseh
authors: N
authors: Esmaili
authors: S Zahra
authors: SZ
authors: Ghodsi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D006559:Pemphigoid Gestationis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult