Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Feline pemphigus foliaceus skin disease in 57 cats studied
By Preziosi, Diane E et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2003·Department of Clinical Studies, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Feline pemphigus foliaceus: a retrospective analysis of 57 cases.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 57 cats diagnosed with pemphigus foliaceus, a skin condition that causes painful sores and crusts, were studied to understand their symptoms and treatment. Most of these cats, aged between less than 1 year to 17 years, experienced itching and had lesions on their face, paws, or body. Treatment with triamcinolone, a type of corticosteroid, was found to be more effective and safer than other medications like prednisone. Out of the 44 cats that were monitored for up to 54 months, only four unfortunately passed away due to their condition or treatment, indicating that many cats responded well to the therapy.
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Abstract
Fifty-seven cases of feline pemphigus foliaceus were identified from biopsy specimens submitted to University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's Laboratory of Pathology and Toxicology by veterinary dermatologists from 1991 to 2002. Age at onset ranged from less than 1 year to 17 years; median 5 years. Eighty per cent of cats were reported to have been pruritic. At the time of biopsy, the distribution of lesions varied, but included some combination of face/head, paws, dorsum or ventrum and consisted of crusts, erosions, scale and alopecia. The histological features of 208 biopsy specimens were reviewed and included the following. Acantholytic cells were found in large numbers in both intact and degenerating pustules in most cases. Mast cells were found in the dermal infiltrate more often than reported previously. Seventeen cases were receiving corticosteroids at the time of biopsy; reducing the percentage of diagnostic biopsies per case. Forty-four cases were followed for 1-54 months (median 9 months). Triamcinolone was more successful at inducing remission without significant adverse effects than prednisone or prednisone in combination with chlorambucil. Only 4/44 cats died from their disease or therapy during the study period.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14678443/