Bullous pemphigoid in Erzurum: A 10 year retrospective study

Abstract

Background and Design: Bullous pemphigoid is a rare autoimmune blistering disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological characteristics and clinical, laboratory, and radiological features of patients with bullous pemphigoid in Erzurum and to evaluate the association of bullous pemphigoid with comorbid diseases. Methods and Methods: Medical records of 38 patients, who were diagnosed with bullous pemphigoid after biopsy and hospitalized in our clinic between 2003 and 2013, were retrospectively studied. Results: Fifteen (39.5%) of the 38 patients were male, and 23 (60.5%) were female. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 62.4 +/- 21 years. Analyses of the results of direct immunofluorescence showed that the most common finding was the presence of IgG and C3 (42.1%). The average time since the first presentation until diagnosis was 72.7 +/- 104.3 days. The mean initial dose of corticosteroid was 54.7 +/- 26.01 mg/day. The mean length of hospitalization for bullous pemphigoid was 22.6 +/- 23.5 days. We did not detect any malignancy or comorbid diseases associated with bullous pemphigoid. However, eosinophilia was detected. Conclusions: Routine laboratory and radiological investigations are not necessary to detect malignancy in patients with bullous pemphigoid.