Death in pemphigus

Pemphigus is frequently a fatal skin disease. The cause of death and the events leading to it were investigated by examining patient records and autopsy data of thirteen patients who died as a result of this disease at the UCLA Hospital between 1965 and 1980. The diagnosis was confirmed histologically and/or by immunofluorescent studies of the skin and serum. Infection was the most frequent cause of death, and septicemia was found in nine of...