The incidence of bullous pemphigoid and related clinical factors of medication and neurological disorders comorbidity in TAIWAN

The incidence of bullous pemphigoid and related clinical factors of medication and neurological disorders comorbidity in TAIWAN

Background: The autoimmune skin disorder, bullous pemphigoid(BP), is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, but the epidemiological and clinical characteristics are little known. We carried out this nationwide nested case–control study to show the incidence trend, medication and neurological co-morbidities of BP. Methods: The National Health Insurance dataset (LHID2000) was used for this study. BP and neurological disorders were defined according to the ICD-9 diagnostic codes, and medications including antihypertensive, antibiotic, diuretic, NSAID, and salicylate were identified. Each case was age-(+-1 year) and sex-matched to four healthy controls. Results: The standardized BP incidence range is 1.28-3.04 per 100,000 and BP incidences in age>=70 group are 50-60 folds higher than in age<=50 group. Prescribed diuretic, salicylate, NSAID, and antihypertensive, are associated with incident BP. BP patients have high neurological comorbidities. Conclusion: BP incidences in Taiwan are 5-30 folds higher than in the developed European countries. The associations between BP and the use of multiple drugs and neurological comorbidities shed light on future research and clinical practice of BP.