Clinical and demographic characteristics of mucous membrane pemphigoid in India: A retrospective analysis

Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a rare subepidermal autoimmune blistering disorder. The clinical and demographic parameters of this disease in Indian patients have not yet been elucidated in detail. We aimed to study the clinical and demographic characteristics, disease course, and treatment aspects of MMP patients. The data for this study were obtained by reviewing the case record forms of patients registered in the Autoimmune Bullous Disease (AIBD) Clinic of the Department of Dermatology, Venereology & Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, a tertiary care centre in India. The diagnosis of MMP was established on the basis of clinical and immune-histopathological features which are consistent with standard diagnostic criteria for the disease. A total of 52 patients with MMP registered in the AIBD clinic were included. The mean age at disease onset was 50 years and the average age at presentation was 56 years. Females outnumbered males in the study with a ratio of 1.36:1. The oral and ocular mucosae were the most commonly affected sites (82.6% and 63.4% respectively). Visual difficulty was reported by half the patients (26 of 52 patients). IgG, C3, and IgA deposits were detected on direct immunofluorescence (DIF) in 29, 21, and 11 patients, respectively. Serologic analysis was performed in only 7 of the patients and of these, just 1 exhibited a positive result on multivariant ELISA and epidermal pattern of binding on salt split skin indirect immunofluorescence. Most patients were treated with prednisolone (44 of 52). Steroid-sparing adjuvants were used in combination including cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, methotrexate, dapsone, and colchicine. Rituximab was administered in 7 patients with severe or refractory disease. This is a retrospective analysis of data available from a clinic registry. In patients with negative direct immunofluorescence on biopsy, the diagnosis was based on clinico-pathologic consensus. MMP is not as uncommon in India as the paucity of reports suggest. Visual complications are frequent in Indian MMP patients. A high index of suspicion is required for early diagnosis and appropriate treatment to prevent ocular complications.