Twenty-two newly diagnosed patients with pemphigus were randomly divided into two groups of 11 each. One group was placed on a high-dose prednisolone (120 mg/day) therapy and the other group on a low-dose (60 mg/day) therapy. The patients were followed for 5 years. Although a rapid initial control of the pemphigus appeared to be achieved with the high-dose regimen, this regimen did not have any long-term benefit over the low-dose regimen with respect to the frequency of relapse or in the incidence of complications.

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Eight patients with erythema dyschromicum perstans (ashy dermatosis) are described. The characteristic ashy macules occurred mainly on the trunk and limbs. The condition did not appear to be associated with infection or drug ingestion. Seven patients had preceding erythema before onset of ashy macules; three had urticarial eruptions associated with the early erythema. Biopsy consistently showed mild, superficial, perivascular mononuclear cell infiltration and abundant melanophages in all the patients. In five, vascuolar degeneration of the basal epidermal cells was evident. There was no evidence to suggest that the condition was associated with lichen planus. The dermatosis appeared to run a prolonged course.

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