{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T16:12:04Z","timestamp":1783440724433,"version":"3.54.6"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]],"date-time":"2025-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760572800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and foliaceus (PF) are autoimmune blistering diseases mediated by IgG antibodies directed against desmogleins 1 and 3 and are still considered life-threatening disorders. In recent years, rituximab has been shown to be very effective, especially in PV and mainly in short follow-ups. The role of rituximab in achieving long-lasting complete clinical remission (cCR) in pemphigus still needs to be determined. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the efficacy, measured by achieving long-lasting cCR, and safety of rituximab in both PV and PF over an 8-year follow-up in light of several factors (body mass index\u2014BMI, severity of disease\u2014PDAI, age, gender, disease duration, COVID-19 period). Methods: In total, 28 patients with pemphigus were treated with rituximab and followed-up at one center. The entire analysis was performed using statistical methods. Results: Long-lasting cCR was achieved in 5 out of 6 patients (83%) with PF and 10 of 22 (45.5%) patients with PV. Univariate and multivariate analysis disclosed that studied factors did not statistically correlated with achieving long-lasting cCR. Among studied patients, few developed side effects, mainly urinary tract infection; one patient had sepsis, and one patient died. Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that rituximab is highly effective in PF and quite effective in PV over an 8-year follow-up in relation to independently studied factors. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic was not a negative factor influencing cCR achievement since 82% of patients treated with rituximab during that time still achieved cCR.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm14207318","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]],"date-time":"2025-10-17T11:39:34Z","timestamp":1760701174000},"page":"7318","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Eight Years of Follow-Up of Rituximab in Pemphigus Vulgaris and Foliaceus at a Single Center: Assessing Efficacy and Safety in Light of Several Factors"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4297-8034","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Konrad","family":"Szymanski","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cezary","family":"Kowalewski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Irena","family":"Walecka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-1241-1074","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katarzyna","family":"Wozniak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"575","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaad.2018.02.021","article-title":"Diagnosis and Management of Pemphigus: Recommendations of an International Panel of Experts","volume":"82","author":"Murrell","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. 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