TREATMENT OF BULLOUS PEMPHIGOID WITH TETRACYCLINES AND TOPICAL CORTICOSTEROIDS

Tetracyclines have been anecdotally reported to be effective in the tr eatment of bullous pemphigoid. The objective of this study was to eval uate the efficacy of cyclines for this indication, we reviewed the rec ords of patients hospitalized with BP between 1993 and 1995. Twenty-on e patients with generalized BP, confirmed by direct cutaneous immunofl uorescence, were included in this open study, All patients but one wer e treated with tetracycline. However, 15 patients received topical cor ticosteroid therapy. Adverse effects occurred in 8 patients (essential ly gastrointestinal or renal side effects). Treatment had to be stoppe d in 2 cases. Disease in 9 patients was controlled within about 2 week s with a mixed treatment (tetracycline and TCS). At the time of this r eport, 6 patients were in remission with a mean follow-up period of 10 .5 months. Tetracycline alone was never able to control the disease (5 patients), From these results and a review of the literature, it seem s that oral tetracyclines are probably ineffective alone, Tetracycline s are not a good alternative to systemic steroids in the treatment of BP.