Plasmapheresis for the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid.

Forty-two cases of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and bullous pemphigoid (BP) were treated with plasmapheresis by one of 3 techniques: centrifugation, double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP), or a combination of the two. Each plasmapheresis resulted in a rapid reduction in the autoantibody titer and an improvement in clinical symptoms, thereby allowing a lower dose of corticosteroid to be administered and remission to be achieved. These findings suggest that plasmapheresis is an effective treatment for PV and BP patients who have been unresponsive to conventional therapy, for those for whom conventional drugs are contraindicated due to complications, and for those who show severe clinical manifestations.