BACKGROUND Measuring the quality of life (QOL) is important in the evaluation of nonclinical aspects of diseases, for the discovery of functional and psychological limitations, and in choosing treatment in the initial phase of the disease. Pemphigus is a potentially fatal autoimmune bullous disease caused by autoantibodies against desmogleins (cadherin family proteins in desmosomes). Thus far, ...

OBJECTIVES To conduct a cross-sectional study to compare Dsg1 and Dsg3 antibody levels independently with severity of disease activity in pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF). METHODS Blood samples from 44 patients with pemphigus (PV-38, PF-6) were analyzed using ELISA. The severity of skin and mucosal disease was graded using a score from 0 to 3. RESULTS A statistically sig...

BACKGROUND Prolactin is a hormone; in addition to it known roles, it has immunomodulatory effects on lymphocytes maturation and immunoglobulins production. Hyperprolactinemia has been demonstrated in various autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, type I diabetes mellitus, and Graves' disease. In view of the prolactin immunomodulatory roles, studying prol...

BACKGROUND There is increasing evidence that a single cycle of rituximab (375 mg per square meter [corrected] of body surface area once weekly for 4 weeks) is efficacious in patients with severe pemphigus. The approved protocol in rheumatoid arthritis is 1 g on days 1 and 15. We report herein on the efficacy and safety of this latter protocol for rituximab in 9 patients with pemphigus. OBSERV...

Background: Chronic skin diseases such as vitiligo and psoriasis can impair the quality of life in the patients with these diseases. The impact of chronic and/or severe skin diseases on the lives of family members of the affected patients has only recently been addressed. The tool used for this assessment is the Family Dermatology Life Quality Index (FDLQI). The aim of this study was to use the...