Successful monotherapy of pemphigus vegetans with minocycline and nicotinamide

Pemphigus vegetans is a rare variant of pemphigus vulgaris, accounting for 1-2% of all pemphigus diseases. Systemic corticosteroids are the therapy of first choice in combination with immunosuppressants as steroid-sparing agents.

To highlight the exceptional but successful use of minocycline/nicotinamide monotherapy in pemphigus vegetans.

A review of the literature to date about pemphigus vegetans with special emphasis on therapy was performed. Due to its rarity, multiple anecdotal reports without long-term follow-up are available and prospective controlled trials are lacking. Only one retrospective study from Tunisia includes 17 patients with pemphigus vegetans.

We present a 76-year-old woman with pemphigus vegetans achieving complete response to a minocycline/nicotinamide monotherapy at onset and at relapse of the disease. Treatment has been discontinued after repeated direct immunofluorescence (DIF) of previously affected normal skin and anti-desmoglein 3 antibodies had become negative. In addition, DIF of previously involved oral mucosa was negative. During long-term follow-up clinical remission has been maintained for more than 5 years. Up to now, negative results of serial performed indirect immunofluorescence and desmoglein ELISA testing also predict immunological remission.

In our patient and in a case with oesophageal involvement, published more than 20 years ago, clearly the benefit of minocycline/nicotinamide monotherapy was demonstrated. We propose to consider minocycline/nicotinamide as first-line monotherapy in pemphigus vegetans, especially in elderly patients with comorbidities and contraindications to standard therapy, as it avoids the toxicities of systemic corticosteroids and immunosuppressants.