title: A retrospective consecutive case-series study on the effect of systemic treatment, length of admission time, and co-morbidities in 98 bullous pemphigoid patients admitted to a tertiary centre.
abstract: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a common blistering disease caused by antibodies directed against hemi-desmosomal proteins BPAG1 and BPAG2. The disease is characterised by intense pruritus and blistering of the skin. The systemic treatment with the highest level of evidence for BP is systemic glucocorticoids. However, since the disease often occurs in the elderly patients, and since the most common co-morbidities are diabetes and neurological diseases, glucocorticoid-sparing drugs are often introduced. We retrospectively identified all BP patients admitted to our tertiary clinic over a 7-year period in order to register demography, treatment and co-morbidities. The most common steroid-sparing drugs were azathioprine (87%) and methotrexate (11%). Less than 2% were treated with dapsone, rituximab and cyclosporin A. As expected, we found a relatively high rate of neurological disorders, diabetes, and malignancies, but surprisingly we also found an increased rate of cardiovascular diseases compared to the Danish population in general.
authors: Department of Dermato-Venereology S, Aarhus University Hospital, P.P. Ørumsgade 11, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
authors: Line
authors: L
authors: Kibsgaard
authors: Bjørn
authors: B
authors: Bay
authors: Mette
authors: M
authors: Deleuran
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Vestergaard
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents