Estudo clínico e epidemiológico dos casos de pênfigo foliáceo endêmico e pênfigo vulgar em um centro de referência no estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil

Abstract

Background: pemphigus is a group of bullous autoimmune diseases. The most common of which are pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus, the latter predominating in Brazil in the endemic form, also known as “fogo selvagem”. They are characterized by the production of IgG antibodies against desmogleins. A reduction in the incidence of endemic pemphigus foliaceus and an increase in pemphigus vulgaris have been described in the country, but there are no studies in Minas Gerais that address the latter. Objective: to describe the epidemiological and clinical profile of patients with pemphigus foliaceus and vulgaris treated at the dermatology service of a public university hospital in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study of cases diagnosed with vulgar or endemic pemphigus foliaceus was carried out for a period of six months. A questionnaire with epidemiological and clinical data on the disease was filled out. Results: a total of 122 patients were included in this study, 64 with pemphigus foliaceus and 58 with pemphigus vulgaris. When comparing patients with endemic pemphigus foliaceus and pemphigus vulgaris, the median age at onset of the disease was lower in the foliaceus (p=0.001); the professions of patients with pemphigus foliaceus predominate in the primary sector and, with pemphigus vulgaris, in the tertiary sector (p=0.010); most of the pemphigus foliaceus group lived in rural and periurban areas, while those with pemphigus vulgaris lived in urban areas (p=0.000); vegetation (p=0.000) and rivers/streams close to the home (p=0.001) are more frequently reported by patients with pemphigus foliaceus; and the median amount of systemic medications needed to control the disease is higher in pemphigus vulgaris (p=0.002). When comparing patients with endemic pemphigus foliaceus to those evaluated in a study carried out at the service in 2008, in the current study most are from periurban and rural areas, while in the previous one, from urban areas (p=0.030). Study limitations: the evaluated population comes from a tertiary care service that is not a reference for the entire state. Conclusions: patients with endemic pemphigus foliaceus and pemphigus vulgaris maintain statistically significant differences in the main variables described in the literature, such as age and housing area. Historically, a reduction in endemic pemphigus foliaceus cases and an increase in cases of pemphigus vulgaris among the patients of this institution have been observed.