Pemphigus is a group of rare and life-threatening autoimmune blistering diseases of the skin and mucous membranes. Although they occur worldwide, their incidence shows wide geographical variation, and prospective data on the epidemiology of pemphigus are very limited. Objective of this work is to evaluate the incidence and epidemiological and clinical features of patients with pemphigus in Turkey. All patients newly diagnosed with pemphigus between June 2013 and June 2014 were prospectively enrolled in 33 dermatology departments in 20 different provinces from all seven regions of Turkey. Disease parameters including demography and clinical findings were recorded. A total of 220 patients were diagnosed with pemphigus during the 1-year period, with an annual incidence of 4.7 per million people in Turkey. Patients were predominantly women, with a male to female ratio of 1:1.41. The mean age at onset was 48.9 years. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) was the commonest clinical subtype (n= 192; 87.3%), followed by pemphigus foliaceus (n= 21; 9.6%). The most common clinical subtype of PV was the mucocutaneous type (n= 83; 43.2%). The mean Pemphigus Disease Area Index was 28.14 +/- 22.21 (mean +/- Standard Deviation). The incidence rate of pemphigus in Turkey is similar to the countries of South-East Europe, higher than those reported for the Central and Northern European countries and lower than the countries around the Mediterranean Sea and Iran. Pemphigus is more frequent in middle-aged people and is more common in women. The most frequent subtype was PV, with a 9-fold higher incidence than pemphigus foliaceus.
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[Harman, Mehmet] Dicle Univ, Dept Dermatol, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
[Baskan, Emel Bulbul] Uludag Univ, Dept Dermatol, Bursa, Turkey.
[Karakas, Ayse Akman; Temel, Asli Bilgic; Uzun, Soner] Akdeniz Univ, Antalya, Turkey.
[Genc, Yeser; Erdem, Cengizhan] Ankara Univ, Ankara, Turkey.
[Turk, Bengu Gerceker] Ege Univ, Izmir, Turkey.
[Demirsoy, Evren Odyakmaz] Kocaeli Univ, Izmit, Turkey.
[Gunasti, Suhan; Gungor, Dilek] Cukurova Univ, Adana, Turkey.
[Bilgili, Serap Gunes] Yuzuncu Yil Univ, Van, Turkey.
[Ilter, Nilsel] Gazi Univ, Ankara, Turkey.
[Ferahbas, Ayten; Kartal, Demet] Erciyes Univ, Kayseri, Turkey.
[Savk, Ekin] Adnan Menderes Univ, Aydin, Turkey.
[Afsar, Fatma Sule] Ataturk Training & Res Hosp, Izmir, Turkey.
[Aytekin, Sema] Haydarpasa Numune Training & Res Hosp, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Kaya, Tamer Irfan] Mersin Univ, Mersin, Turkey.
[Hayta, Sibel Berksoy; Akyol, Melih] Cumhuriyet Univ, Mersin, Turkey.
[Ozgen, Zuleyha] Marmara Univ, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Gurel, Mehmet Salih; Aksu, Esra Koku] Istanbul Res & Training Hosp, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Caliskan, Ercan] Gulhane Mil Med Acad, Ankara, Turkey.
[Balci, Didem Didar] Tepecik Res & Training Hosp, Izmir, Turkey.
[Gungor, Sule] Okmeydani Res & Training Hosp, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Kapicioglu, Yelda] Inonu Univ, Malatya, Turkey.
[Ozuguz, Pinar] Afyon Kocatepe Univ, Afyon, Turkey.
[Aktan, Sebnem] Dokuz Eylul Univ, Izmir, Turkey.
[Dogramaci, Asena] Mustafa Kemal Univ, Antakya, Turkey.
[Kokcam, Ibrahim] Firat Univ, Elazig, Turkey.
[Onsun, Nahide] Bezmialem Univ, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Seckin, Deniz] Baskent Univ, Ankara, Turkey.
[Durdu, Murat] Baskent Univ, Adana Hosp, Adana, Turkey.
[Dursun, Recep] Baskent Univ, Konya Hosp, Konya, Turkey.
[Daye, Munise] Necmettin Erbakan Univ, Konya, Turkey.
[Dilek, Nursel] Recep Tayyip Erdogan Univ, Rize, Turkey.
[Karabacak, Ercan] GATA Haydarpasa Hosp, Istanbul, Turkey.