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McCluskey, P. et al.

Methotrexate therapy for ocular cicatricial pemphigoid.

PURPOSE: To report the use of methotrexate therapy as first-line systemic therapy in the treatment of ocular-cicatricial pemphigoid and drug-induced ocular-cicatricial pemphigoid. DESIGN: Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve patients with ocular-cicatricial pemphigoid and 5 patients with drug-induced ocular-cicatricial pemphigoid treated with low-dose oral methotrexate as the sole systemic agent. In 14 of the 17 patients, methotrexate was the first systemic agent used. METHODS: Clinical data abstracted from patient medical records. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual acuity, conjunctival inflammation, progression of cicatrization, and treatment-related side effects. RESULTS: After a mean follow-up duration of 30.2 months (range, 6-78 months), complete control or suppression, or both, of conjunctival inflammation was achieved in 89% of eyes with ocular-cicatricial pemphigoid and in 100% of eyes with drug-induced ocular-cicatricial pemphigoid using methotrexate monotherapy as the first-line systemic agent. Progression of conjunctival cicatrization was prevented in 72% of eyes with ocular-cicatricial pemphigoid and 90% of eyes with drug-induced ocular-cicatricial pemphigoid. Visual acuity was maintained or improved in 85% of total eyes treated with methotrexate monotherapy, and a final visual acuity of 6/18 or better was achieved in 74% of the eyes. Methotrexate therapy was well tolerated, with 92% of patients maintained on continued treatment experiencing no side effects. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal (50%), and most (78%) were reversible on dose reduction. In 4 of 17 cases, methotrexate was ceased as a result of possible treatment-related side effects. CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose oral methotrexate monotherapy is both highly efficacious and well tolerated as the first-line systemic agent in the treatment of ocular-cicatricial pemphigoid and drug-induced ocular-cicatricial pemphigoid.[1]

References

Methotrexate therapy for ocular cicatricial pemphigoid. McCluskey, P., Chang, J.H., Singh, R., Wakefield, D. Ophthalmology (2004) [Pubmed]

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