Autoimmune diseases in patients with pemphigus and their first-degree relatives.

Background: Pemphigus is an autoimmune blistering disease affecting the skin and mucosa, which mostly in anecdotal reports has been associated with several autoimmune diseases.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of autoimmune diseases in a large group of patients with pemphigus and their first-degree relatives.

Methods: One hundred and ten patients with pemphigus were interviewed for the existence of various autoimmune diseases.

Pemphigus, analysis of 155 patients.

Background: Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering disease. In the last 20 years, immunomodulatory agents have been added to the therapeutic armamentarium. Only few recent studies have evaluated the long-term outcome of pemphigus and possible prognostic parameters in a large group of patients.

Pemphigus--analysis of epidemiological factors in 155 patients.

Background: Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering disease. Only a few studies have evaluated the epidemiological and aetiological parameters of pemphigus vulgaris in a large group of patients over the long term.

Methods: The sample included 155 patients with a diagnosis of pemphigus who attended the pemphigus clinic of a major tertiary medical centre from 1976 to 2004.