Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-lasting remission after immune therapy in dogs with pemphigus
By Olivry, Thierry et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2004·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prolonged remission after immunosuppressive therapy in six dogs with pemphigus foliaceus.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of six dogs diagnosed with pemphigus foliaceus, a skin disease that causes painful lesions, received treatment with immunosuppressive medications. After 1.5 to 5 months of treatment, their skin lesions cleared up completely. The dogs continued on medication for 3 to 22 months before the drugs were gradually reduced and eventually stopped. Remarkably, none of the dogs experienced a return of their skin problems for 1.5 to 6 years after stopping treatment, suggesting that some dogs can achieve long-term remission from this condition.
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Abstract
Limited information is available on the long-term outcome of treatment of pemphigus foliaceus in dogs. The purpose of this study is to report that a prolonged remission can occur after discontinuation of immunosuppressive regimens in some animals with this disease. Six dogs were diagnosed with pemphigus foliaceus based on suggestive clinical signs and histopathology. These patients were treated either with immunosuppressive doses of oral glucocorticoids or with a combination of oral glucocorticoids and azathioprine. After clinical signs underwent complete remission, which occurred 1.5-5 months after immunosuppression was initiated, the drugs were tapered progressively and eventually withdrawn. The total duration of immunosuppressive therapy varied between 3 and 22 months. Skin lesions of pemphigus foliaceus did not recur for 1.5-6 years after treatment was stopped. These observations suggest that, in some dogs with pemphigus foliaceus, immunosuppression can lead to long-term remission of skin lesions, and that discontinuation of treatment is not necessarily followed by a recurrence of clinical signs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15305932/