Epidemiology of Pemphigus: A Single Center Experience in Morocco

ABSTRACT

Objective: Pemphigus is a life threatening autoimmune bullous disease which involves the skin and mucous membranes of the stratified squamous epithelium. The global distribution of Pemphigus varies according to genetic, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the epidemiological features of pemphigus a single center in Morocco and compare our results with those reported elsewhere. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 302 pemphigus patients seen between 1990 and 2020 in the Dermatology Department of Ibn Sina Hospital (Rabat, Morocco). We further collected all the Moroccan scientific researches published by now to compare. Results: The average annual incidence was 0.32/100,000 inhabitants. The incidence doubled to 0.72 in 2020. The most common variant was pemphigus vulgaris (125 cases) followed by pemphigus erythematosus (99 cases), pemphigus foliaceous (40 cases), and vegetans (27 cases). The female to male ratio was 0.75, the average age at onset was 53years old and the mean duration of the disease before diagnosis was 13.36months. Conclusion: This study joins the main characteristics of pemphigus in the Maghreb and around the world (pemphigus vulgaris most frequent subtype). In 2020, an epidemiological peak occurred during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic;probably related to stress and delayed time consultation for fear of contracting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.