Clinical Course and Factors Associated with Remission in Pemphigus Vulgaris Patients in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Objective: To describe and identify those factors associated with remission on pemphigus vulgaris (PV) patients in Puerto Rico. Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated PV patients followed at the University Puerto Rico (UPR) Bullous Diseases Clinic during the 2000-2010 period. Patients included in the study had clinical and pathologic findings consistent with PV and had a disease duration of at least 3 years. Variables including gender, date of birth, time of disease onset, and date of first partial or complete remission were collected from the medical chart for each study participant. The primary outcome was to determine the number of patients who achieved partial or complete remission. Other secondary outcomes were to identify if partial/complete remission were associated to gender, disease duration, and age at onset of disease. Results: Among 35 patients included in this study, 6 (17%) achieved complete remission and 28 (80%) achieved partial remission. A statistically significant association was found between duration of disease and remission, predicting a 52% probability of remission after ten years of disease duration. Age at onset of disease showed a trend association with remission, although it was not statistically significant. Gender was not associated with remission. Conclusion: These findings provide insights into the clinical course of PV and can be of value in the management and care of this patient population.