bollus pemphigoid

my friend's dad has been suffering from bollus pemphigoid from the last 7 years.he has been gettin blisters throughout his body in intervals.i have read insome journals that the condition lasts upto just five years but in his case it still exists.he has been on corticosteroid drugs but his condition doesnt improve.please suggest alternative treatments or medicines.please help.
regards,
talat

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a chronic, autoimmune, subepidermal, blistering skin disease that rarely involves mucous membranes.

The most commonly used medications are anti-inflammatory agents (eg, corticosteroids, tetracyclines, dapsone) and immunosuppressants (eg, azathioprine, methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil, cyclophosphamide).
A recent article from Europe provided evidence that strong topical corticosteroid treatment may achieve disease control while avoiding systemic adverse effects from systemic corticosteroids.

For patients in whom steroids or other anti-inflammatory agents have not caused a response or for those unable to tolerate prednisone, immunosuppressants are useful adjuvants like Azathioprine (Imuran) or Rituximab (Rituxan). They work at the cellular level and supress the lesions.

ref:http://www.emedicine.com/DERM/topic64.htm