Patients with Bullous Pemphigoid Are Not at Increased Risk for Death

Often, patients with bullous pemphigoid are older. The risk for death in these patients is controversial, with some studies suggesting increased risk and others suggesting no difference from others of their sex and age.

In this retrospective cohort study, researchers compared the mortality rate in a large group of patients with newly diagnosed bullous pemphigoid with age- and sex-specific death rates from the CDC’s National Vital Statistics report.

Investigators contacted 223 patients (median age at diagnosis, 77) diagnosed with bullous pemphigoid between 1998 and 2003, or their families, to verify the patient’s status; when patient or family contact was not possible, the researchers hunted through publicly available Social Security data. At …