11 Sep Pemphigus Incidence Much Higher Among Jews Than Arabs in Northern Israel
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Khalaf Kridin
Khalaf Kridin, MD
Department of Dermatology
Rambam Health Care Campus
Haifa Israel
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Pemphigus shows an uneven geographic and ethnic distribution. A high incidence of pemphigus was observed in some ethnic groups, namely Ashkenazi Jews and those of Mediterranean origin. This observation has been shown to be strongly related to several HLA-class II genes; HLA-DRB1*04 and HLA-A*10 which have been more frequently found among Ashkenazi Jewish pemphigus patients. We sought to estimate trends in the incidence of pemphigus in northern Israel in the years 2000-2015, in relation to the major ethnic groups who inhabit the same geographic area and exposed to the same environmental elements.
The overall estimated incidence of pemphigus in northern Israel was 7.2 per million inhabitants per year (95% CI, 6.2-8.3). The incidence in the Jewish population was 3-fold higher than that in Arabs; 9.6 vs. 3.2 cases per million per year, respectively, p<0.0001), and higher among women than men; 9 vs. 5.3 cases per million per year, respectively, p<0.0001). Patients of Arab ancestry tend to present with the disease at earlier age, in line with observations from Arab and Mediterranean countries.
A declining trend in the incidence of pemphigus throughout the last 16 years in northern Israel was observed.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Our findings support a role for genetics in the etiology of pemphigus.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: The remarkable difference in the incidences between Jews and Arabs living in the same environment imply the existence of a genetic component in the pathogenesis of pemphigus, and shed light on the importance of conducting genetic studies aiming to identify differences between pemphigus patients from these different ethnic populations.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Remarkable differences in the epidemiology of pemphigus among two ethnic populations in the same geographic region
Kridin, Khalaf et al.
June 18, 2016
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology , Volume 0 , Issue 0 ,
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2016.06.055
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Last Updated on September 11, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD