EPIDEMIOLOGIC ANALYSIS AND CLINICAL COURSE OF 84 CONSECUTIVE CASES OFPEMPHIGUS IN EASTERN SICILY

Background The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical and e pidemiologic features of pemphigus in eastern Sicily. Methods All new cases of pemphigus seen in the Dermatology Clinic at the University of Catania during the period January 1982 to June 1996 were studied retr ospectively. Results Eighty-four patients with pemphigus represented 1 .3% of 6653 patients admitted to our clinic in a 13.5-year period, wit h an average annual incidence of six cases per year. The most common f orm of presentation was pemphigus vulgaris (PV) (75%), followed by pem phigus erythematosus (17%) pemphigus herpetiformis (6%), and pemphigus vrgetans (2%). In 6% of PV patients, the oral lesions were not follow ed by skin involvement, and the lag time between the onset of illness and the final diagnosis in five PV cases was prolonged, ranging from 4 to 7 years, probably due to the mild clinical presentation of the dis ease. Two trauma-related PV cases were documented; in one case, the bl isters were located in a surgical scar and in the other in a burn scar . Conclusions Our findings showed that pemphigus has a relatively high prevalence in eastern Sicily compared with other Italian regions; PV is the most common variant, and may have a mild course not always requ iring aggressive therapy.