الفهرس 
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Abstract
SUMMARY
Autoimmune bullous disorders (AIBDs) are a heterogeneous group of rare diseases clinically characterized by erosions and/or blisters. Since the skin is a vital organ in the protection of the body against dehydration and infections, these skin diseases may be life-threatening. The bullous skin diseases are being divided into two categories based on whether the skin is affected within the epidermis or at the epidermal-dermal interphase.
Rituximab is a chimeric, humanized anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody believed to exert its clinical effects in AIBD through depletion of Dsg specific IgG positive B lymphocytes. Rituximab and short term corticosteroids are safe and significantly more effective than corticosteroids alone.
We aimed for assessment of the efficacy and the safety of rituximab in the treatment of auto-immune bullous diseases as a new line of therapy. And in order to explore the indications, contraindications and potential risks.
We followed the PRISMA statement guidelines during this systematic review and meta-analysis preparation and performed all steps according to the Cochrane handbook of systematic reviews of intervention. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science (WOS), Embase, and Science Direct till August 2021 using relevant keywords. We used the relevant keywords for searching databases including “Bullous OR Bullous Pemphigoid OR Pemphigoid OR Pemphigoids OR “Pemphigus Vulgaris” OR “Pemphigus Foliaceus” OR “Foliaceus, Pemphigus”) AND (Rituximab OR “CD20 Antibody, Rituximab” OR “Rituximab CD20 Antibody”.
We evaluated the included studies using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool .
We identified twelve studies comparing rituximab either with different doses of Rituximab or another line of treatment as glucocorticoid therapy. The included studies focused on the outcomes of completer or partial remission, disease flare and relapse, and some other adverse events.
Rituximab was effective in treating AIBD, was significantly better than conventional treatment, decreased the need for additional steroids and other immunosuppressants, and induced prolonged remission.
Further studies with larger sample-sized and longer follow-up durations can highlight the need for additional cycles of rituximab to maintain sustained remission.