title: [Impact of neurological diseases on the prognosis of bullous pemphigoid: A retrospective study of 178 patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bullous pemphigoid (BP) mainly affects elderly patients. It is often associated with neurological disorders, which constitute a major risk factor of the disease. The aim of our study was to determine whether neurological disorders, particularly dementia, influence outcome and mortality in BP patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective study of all patients with BP seen in our dermatology department consecutively between 1997 and 2011. Clinical, immunological and therapeutic data, number of relapses and survival status were compared according to the presence at diagnosis of neurological disorders, particularly dementia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 178 patients included, an associated neurological disease was present in 84 (47.2%) and dementia in 43 (24.2%) at the time of diagnosis of BP. Patients with associated dementia were older and had a lower Karnofsky index. Sixty-four patients (37.8%) had had at least one clinical relapse of BP, chiefly within the first 18 months after starting therapy. Coexistent neurological disease was not associated with BP relapse (P=0.55) contrary to an extensive BP phenotype at diagnosis (P=0.008). Coexistent neurological disease and/or dementia were associated with higher mortality (P=0.03 and P<0.001, respectively), but did not modify the type or the total duration of BP treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A coexistent neurological disease or dementia at the time of diagnosis of BP significantly increase the risk of mortality and shortens the duration of clinical follow-up of patients with BP, thus limiting the analysis of their influence on the outcome of BP itself.
authors.affiliation: Service de dermatologie, hôpital Robert-Debré, avenue du Général-Koenig, 51092 Reims cedex, France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chevalier
authors.affiliation: Département de recherche clinique, hôpital Robert-Debré, avenue du Général-Koenig, 51092 Reims cedex, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barbe
authors.affiliation: Service de dermatologie, hôpital Robert-Debré, avenue du Général-Koenig, 51092 Reims cedex, France.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Reguiai
authors.affiliation: Service de dermatologie, hôpital Robert-Debré, avenue du Général-Koenig, 51092 Reims cedex, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Plée
authors.affiliation: Service de dermatologie, hôpital Robert-Debré, avenue du Général-Koenig, 51092 Reims cedex, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grange
authors.affiliation: Service de dermatologie, hôpital Robert-Debré, avenue du Général-Koenig, 51092 Reims cedex, France. Electronic address: pbernard@chu-reims.fr.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bernard
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D010391:Pemphigoid, Bullous / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Bullous pemphigoid; Dementia; Démence; Elderly people; Maladies neurologiques; Neurological disorder; Pemphigoïde bulleuse; Sujet âgé