Cyclosporine is a drug with specific anti-T-cell actions. Cicatricial ocular pemphigoid is a progressive disease of the conjunctiva of the eye which causes dryness, trichiasis, and ocular scarring leading to blindness. The conventional therapy for this is the use of azathioprine or cyclophosphamide in combination with systemic corticosteroids. Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid has, in general, been thought to be an antibody-mediated disease. However recent evidence has demonstrated that biopsies of the inflamed conjunctiva have an elevated T-cell helper-to-suppressor ratio. Since cyclosporine has specific anti-T-cell activities and may be less toxic than the conventional therapy, this drug will be administered to patients with ocular cacatricial pemphigoid to test its efficacy in the treatment of this disease.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter