The incidence of pemphigus in the southern region of Saudi Arabia

Background This is the first epidemiologic study of pemphigus in the southern region of Saudi Arabia. Methods Data were collected from patient records in the outpatient and inpatient departments of Asir Central Hospital during the period 1990–99. The diagnosis of pemphigus was based on the clinical, histopathologic, and direct immunofluorescence patterns which were consistent with pemphigus. Results The results showed that the mean incidence of the disease in the general population was 0.16/100 000; the mean incidence of the disease in the population above 20 years of age was 0.27/100 000. The prevalence of the disease at the end of the study period was 1.56/100 000 for the total population, and 2.7/100 000 for the population above 20 years of age. The male to female ratio was 2.2 : 1. The age of onset of the disease ranged from 23 to 67 years, except for one case at an age of 9 years, giving an average of 43.1 ± 13.4 years and a median of 40 years. Pemphigus vulgaris was the most commonly encountered type, followed by pemphigus erythematosus (94.7% and 5.3%, respectively). Mucosal involvement occurred in 84.2% of cases. No association with neoplasia was found in the current study. Conclusions Pemphigus in the southern region of Saudi Arabia is as common as in other parts of the world, but with higher mucosal involvement.