Twenty-five patients with mucous membrane
pemphigoid (
MMP), whose oral lesions were unresponsive to topical
steroid treatment, were treated with 1 g daily of
sulphamethoxypyridazine (SMXP), a long-acting sulphonamide
antibiotic, in an open prospective clinical trial. Lesion severity was assessed objectively in a semiquantitative fashion before treatment and after 14 weeks of treatment. The patient's subjective assessment of the associated
pain or discomfort, using a visual analogue scale, was also recorded at these times. Three patients (12%) were withdrawn from the study owing to side-effects or complications, one due to an
allergic reaction, the other two because of significant
haemolysis. For the remainder there was a significant improvement in the mean objective clinical scores for desquamative
gingivitis, other oral lesions, conjunctival
inflammation, nasal, vulvovaginal and skin involvement, after 14 weeks treatment with SMXP (all P < 0.001, except skin P < 0. 01). Only conjunctival
scarring showed no improvement. In addition, there was a significant improvement (P < 0.001) in the
pain scores for the mouth, eyes, nose, vulvovaginal region and skin. The results indicate that with appropriate monitoring SMXP is an effective treatment for
MMP and compares favourably with other systemic agents used in the management of this condition.