Pemphigus: epidemiological survival characteristics of 72 patients

From 1st October, 1991 to 30th September, 1992 an observational study was conducted on pemphigus patients presenting to the department of dermatology, Mayo Hospital, Lahore in order to document the epidemiological and survival characteristics. A total of 72 pemphigus patients were recorded. Thirty eight of these were already known to have the disease while 34 were seen for the first time. A majority of patients[76%] were from lower socioeconomic class. Pemphigus vulgaris was the most common type, accounting for 83% of the total patients, with female to male ratio of 4.4:1. Most of the patients were in third and fourth decades of life. Eight patients[11%] complained of exacerbation during summer and three [4%] had history of photosensitivity. In two patients disease relapsed at the site of trauma. Eleven deaths [15% mortality] occurred during this period either due to the disease itself or disease related complications

Ocular complications of leprosy

In order to document the prevalence of eye deformities in our leprosy patients, a detailed eye examination was conducted on 30 patients already registered and being treated by Regional leprosy centre, DHQ Hospital/ Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad. Common abnormalities observed were superciliary madarosis [70%], ciliary madarosis [30%], trichiasis [13%], entropion [10%], ectropion [3%], lagophthalmos [17%] and pterygium [7%]. Active corneal ulcers were observed in 3.3% of the eyes examined. Twenty eight% of the patients had corneal opacities while 66% had decreased corneal sensitivity. Acute iridocyclitis was observed in 10%, synechiae in 12%, and evidence of autonomic dysfunction in 30% of the patients