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Bullous pemphigoid and autoimmunity
G Taylor1, V Venning, F Wojnarowska
1Department of Dermatology, Slade Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Background:
There are many case reports of bullous pemphigoid (BP) in association with a variety of autoimmune disorders, but no large case controlled studies have been performed.
Objective:
Our purpose was to determine whether there is an increased incidence of autoimmune disorders in patients with BP and whether there is a particular haplotype associated with this.
Methods:
A total of 108 patients with BP were studied and compared with a group of 108 age- and sex-matched controls. HLA typing at the A, B, C, and DR loci was performed on 55 of the 108 patients with BP.
Results:
The difference in incidence of autoimmune disorders between patients and controls was not significant. The haplotypes of patients with BP were similar to those of a locally drawn population.
Conclusion:
There is no increase in the incidence of autoimmune disorders in BP, and no particular haplotype appears to be associated with a predisposition to this condition.