[Epidemiologic study of 20 cases of pemphigus at Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga, Spain]. / Estudio epidemiológico de 20 casos de pénfigo en el Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga.

INTRODUCTION: Pemphigus comprises a group of autoimmune blistering diseases that affect the skin and mucous membranes. Its clinical and epidemiologic features vary according to geographic location and ethnic background. OBJECTIVE: An exhaustive search of the literature reveals very few reports of the epidemiology of pemphigus in setting. Our aim, thus, was to conduct a retrospective study of the clinical and epidemiologic features of pemphigus at a secondary care hospital in Málaga, Spain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We studied 20 patients diagnosed with pemphigus in our department over a period of 13 years (January 1995 to January 2008). RESULTS: We analyzed a large variety of clinical and epidemiologic parameters including sex; age; type of pemphigus; time since onset; associated symptoms; type, morphology, and location of lesions at the time of diagnosis; extent of skin and mucosal involvement; treatment received; treatment-related adverse effects and complications; number of hospital admissions; and patient outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Except for minor differences, our results are in agreement with published data on pemphigus regarding sex, age, and clinical presentation. According to our results, male sex is a predictor of poor prognosis as it is associated with poorer response to treatment and a higher rate of adverse effects and hospital admission.

Estudio epidemiológico de 20 casos de pénfigo en el Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga / Epidemiologic Study of 20 Cases of Pemphigus at Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga, Spain

Introducción: Los pénfigos son un grupo de enfermedades ampollosas autoinmunes que afectan a la piel y a las membranas mucosas. Sus características clínicas y epidemiológicas son variables en función de factores geográficos y étnicos. Objetivo: Si hacemos una búsqueda bibliográfica exhaustiva encontramos escasos trabajos sobre epidemiología del pénfigo en nuestro medio. El objetivo de nuestro estudio es determinar las características clínicas y epidemiológicas del pénfigo en un hospital de segundo nivel de Málaga (España), de una manera retrospectiva. Material y métodos: El estudio incluyó 20 pacientes diagnosticados de pénfigo en nuestro Servicio en un periodo de 13 años, comprendido entre enero de 1995 y enero de 2008. Resultados: Se analizaron un extenso número de parámetros clínicos y epidemiológicos, incluyendo sexo, edad, tipo de pénfigo, tiempo de evolución de la enfermedad hasta el momento del diagnóstico, sintomatología asociada, tipo, morfología y localización de las lesiones en el momento del diagnóstico, afectación de piel y mucosas, tipo de tratamiento realizado, efectos adversos y complicaciones debidas a la terapia, número de ingresos hospitalarios y evolución final de los pacientes. Conclusiones: Aunque con pequeñas diferencias, nuestros resultados están en buena consonancia con los ya existentes en la literatura en lo relativo al sexo, la edad y el perfil clínico de la enfermedad. Según nuestros datos ser varón es un factor de mal pronóstico, puesto que se asocia a una peor respuesta de la enfermedad al tratamiento y a mayor tasa de efectos secundarios y frecuencia de ingresos hospitalarios (AU)

Introduction: Pemphigus comprises a group of autoimmune blistering diseases that affect the skin and mucous membranes. Its clinical and epidemiologic features vary according to geographic location and ethnic background. Objective: An exhaustive search of the literature reveals very few reports of the epidemiology of pemphigus in setting. Our aim, thus, was to conduct a retrospective study of the clinical and epidemiologic features of pemphigus at a secondary care hospital in Málaga, Spain. Material and methods: We studied 20 patients diagnosed with pemphigus in our department over a period of 13 years (January 1995 to January 2008). Results: We analyzed a large variety of clinical and epidemiologic parameters including sex; age; type of pemphigus; time since onset; associated symptoms; type, morphology, and location of lesions at the time of diagnosis; extent of skin and mucosal involvement; treatment received; treatment-related adverse effects and complications; number of hospital admissions; and patient outcome. Conclusions: Except for minor differences, our results are in agreement with published data on pemphigus regarding sex, age, and clinical presentation. According to our results, male sex is a predictor of poor prognosis as it is associated with poorer response to treatment and a higher rate of adverse effects and hospital admission (AU)