Epidemiology of Pemphigus in Morocco

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background The global distribution of pemphigus varies according to genetic, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds. Despite the increased utilization of global health records and reporting systems, epidemiological data remain limited and poorly categorized. Objectives To provide a detailed analysis of the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic features of pemphigus from a multicenter study in Morocco. Methods A cross‐sectional descriptive multicenter study included patients treated for pemphigus at dermatology departments across eleven different university hospitals in Morocco between January 1990 and December 2023. Results Our multicenter cohort consisted of 978 patients. The average annual incidence was estimated at 0.7 cases per million inhabitants per year, with a prevalence of 2.56/100,000 population. The female‐to‐male ratio was 1.4:1, and the median age was 55.9 years. The most common variant was pemphigus vulgaris (519 cases), followed by seborrheic pemphigus (229 cases), pemphigus foliaceous (135 cases), and pemphigus vegetans (65 cases). Treatment strategies included corticosteroids alone (27.9%) or in association with immunosuppressive agents (72.1%). The evolution was marked by remission in 60.9% of patients, relapse in 31.8%, and death in 7.2%. Conclusions Our national multicenter study provides data on pemphigus in Morocco; it identified 978 cases over a 33‐year period and highlighted the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and evolutionary characteristics of our population.