5-year survival of bullous pemphigoid patients in a 20-year period

Bullous pemphigoid is an acquired autoimmune disease with subepidermal blisters commonly seen in the elderly over 60 years old. The exact survival rate of the patients with bullous pemphigoid was not available in Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors of 5-year mortality of bullous pemphigoid patients.

In this retrospective study, 66 bullous pemphigoid patients referred to Razi hospital from 1986 to 2006 were studied. Age, sex, consumed corticosteroid type, duration of hospitalization, and clinical form of bullous pemphigoid, ESR and comorbidities were evaluated to determine the risk factors associated with patients’ 5-year mortality rate.

Forty-seven patients (71.2 %) had 5-year survival. The most common comorbidities were cardiovascular diseases (28.8%), diabetes (15%) and chronic respiratory diseases (9%). There was a significant relationship between the age and the 5-year survival rate, in other words patients aged over 70 years had a less 5-year survival rate (P<0.001). There was no statistically significant association with gender, the type of corticosteroid, the disease clinical forms, duration of hospitalization or ESR and 5-year survival (P>0.05).

The current study found a significant relationship between the age of the patients and 5-year survival. Larger studies considering more potential risk factors and more appropriate designs might help to estimate the survival rate of patients with bullous pemphigoid more precisely.