The events leading to the death of patients with pemphigus and pemphigoid

This paper is based upon a study of all available records of patients certified as having died in hospital from pemphigus and pemphigoid in England and Wales from 1962 to 1969. The results differ from most published series in that many of the 210 patients died still with extensive skin lesions and with biochemical abnormalities, such as low serum albumin, sodium and chloride, which were secondary to this. Side-effects of treatment, such as diabetes, peptic ulceration, and infections, were also important but the commonest immediate causes of death were respiratory tract infections and pulmonary embolism.