Demographic characteristics and comorbidities in patients with oral mucous membrane pemphigoid and pemphigus.
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 2, Turku, 20520, Finland. [email protected].
- 2Department of Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 2, Turku, 20520, Finland.
- 3Department of Pathology, TYKS Laboratories, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
- 4Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
- 5Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- 6Department of Community Dentistry, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Abstract
Objectives
Oral autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBDs) are a group of rare, chronic disorders causing different symptoms on the oral mucosa. The most common oral AIBDs are mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) and pemphigus vulgaris (PV). The aim of this study was to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as comorbidities, of patients with oral AIBDs in Southern and Western Finland.Materials and methods
This retrospective two-center study included patients diagnosed with AIBD with oral symptoms treated at Helsinki University Hospital and Turku University Hospital between the years 2000 and 2022. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, Chi-square tests, Fisher's exact tests, and likelihood ratio tests.Results
Of the 115 patients (65.2% women, mean age at diagnosis 66 years) analyzed, 86.1% were diagnosed with MMP. Patients with PV were significantly younger than patients with MMP. Most of the patients who had available lifestyle information reported being non-smokers and non-alcohol users. Approximately one third of the patients had an autoimmune or neurological comorbidity.Conclusions
There is a female predominance in oral AIBDs. Patients with MMP were older at diagnosis than patients with PV (p < 0.001). Comorbidity comparisons between diagnostic groups were limited by the small PV subgroup and should be interpreted as descriptive.Clinical relevance
MMP and PV are rare chronic AIBDs that can cause painful oral symptoms and thus impair quality of life. With an aging population and increasing immigration, the prevalence of these rare diseases in Western countries including Finland may rise. Therefore, early recognition and diagnosis with proper treatment and follow-up is needed.
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BibTeX
@article{fan2026demographic,
title = {{Demographic characteristics and comorbidities in patients with oral mucous membrane pemphigoid and pemphigus.}},
author = {Lili Fan and Jaana Willberg and Johanna Uittamo and Auli Suominen and Hanna K Laine},
journal = {Clinical oral investigations},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s00784-026-07228-5},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42905280},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Demographic characteristics and comorbidities in patients with oral mucous membrane pemphigoid and pemphigus.
AU - Lili Fan
AU - Jaana Willberg
AU - Johanna Uittamo
AU - Auli Suominen
AU - Hanna K Laine
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Clinical oral investigations
DO - 10.1007/s00784-026-07228-5
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42905280
AB - Objectives Oral autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBDs) are a group of rare, chronic disorders causing different symptoms on the oral mucosa. The most common oral AIBDs are mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) and pemphigus vulgaris (PV). The aim of this study was to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as comorbidities, of patients with oral AIBDs in Southern and Western Finland.Materials and methods This retrospective two-center study included patients diagnosed with AIBD with oral symptoms treated at Helsinki University Hospital and Turku University Hospital between the years 2000 and 2022. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, Chi-square tests, Fisher's exact tests, and likelihood ratio tests.Results Of the 115 patients (65.2% women, mean age at diagnosis 66 years) analyzed, 86.1% were diagnosed with MMP. Patients with PV were significantly younger than patients with MMP. Most of the patients who had available lifestyle information reported being non-smokers and non-alcohol users. Approximately one third of the patients had an autoimmune or neurological comorbidity.Conclusions There is a female predominance in oral AIBDs. Patients with MMP were older at diagnosis than patients with PV (p < 0.001). Comorbidity comparisons between diagnostic groups were limited by the small PV subgroup and should be interpreted as descriptive.Clinical relevance MMP and PV are rare chronic AIBDs that can cause painful oral symptoms and thus impair quality of life. With an aging population and increasing immigration, the prevalence of these rare diseases in Western countries including Finland may rise. Therefore, early recognition and diagnosis with proper treatment and follow-up is needed.
SN - 1432-6981
SN - 1436-3771
ER -