Autoimmune disorder Pemphigus Vulgaris?!

Autoimmune disorder Pemphigus Vulgaris?

Does anyone suffer with this disease or know someone who has? I want to know what medications were used to prevent or help the blisters/sores? It would also be helpful if you could say whether you had a severe case or not & just detail what your treatment was.....I have a immediate relative that suffers from this & it seems as if nothing works completely, but I just want to here others experiences to see if there is anything the dr's are overlooking, treatment wise. Thanks in advance.

2 weeks ago
I appreciate your attempt in answering my question, as in this is a rare disease...but I do want to point out one thing...your "PS- the Vulgaris form of pemphigus only attacks domestic animals" is incorrect. Pemphigus Vulgaris is absolutely MOST common in humans. Pemphigus "foliaceus" is recognized in pet dogs, cats and horses and is the most common autoimmune skin disease diagnosed in veterinary medicine. My mother has been battling this disease for years now & I am sure of her diagnosis. I simply wanted to see if anyone out there, suffering with this disease, or that has had 1st hand experience dealing with a patient or loved ones with the disease had any new info or treatments that my mother has not been introduced to, being that her Doctors have tried almost everything known to combat the illness.

If not treated, pemphigus is fatal, due to overwhelming systemic infection. The most common treatment is the administration of oral steroids, especially prednisone. Recently, there has been great promise of surviving some forms of pemphigus (especially PNP) by using a pooled blood product known as gamma globulin or IVIG. Mild cases sometimes respond to the application of topical steroids. All of these drugs may cause severe side effects, so the patient should be closely monitored by doctors. Once the outbreaks are under control, dosage is often reduced, to lessen side effects.

If paraneoplastic pemphigus is diagnosed with pulmonary disease, a powerful cocktail of immune suppressant drugs is sometimes used in an attempt to halt the rapid progression of bronchiolitis obliterans. Some drugs used include solumedrol, ciclosporin, azathioprine, and in rare instances, extremely controlled use of thalidomide in eligible patients. Immune phoresis procedures are also a possible treatment.

If skin lesions do become infected, antibiotics may be used for treatment. In addition, talcum powder is helpful to prevent oozing sores from adhering to bedsheets and clothes.

PS- the Vulgaris form of pemphigus only attacks domestic animals.