The following is a summary of “Burden of Disease of Bullous Pemphigoid: A Targeted Literature Review,” published in the August 2024 issue of Dermatology by Bahloul et al.
Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is a rare, autoimmune disease causing blisters on flexed skin areas, with mucosa involvement in 10-25% of cases, primarily affecting older adults.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the clinical, humanistic, and economic burden associated with BP.
They conducted targeted searches in Embase and MEDLINE for studies published in English up to November 2022, focusing on the burden of illness in BP. A total of 42 publications on the clinical (n=37), humanistic (n=6), and economic burden (n=8) of BP were identified.
The results showed that BP was associated with a high mortality rate (27%–72%) and an increased risk of death compared to matched controls. The majority of patients had at least 1 comorbidity, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, stroke, and neurological disorders, and exhibited severe symptoms such as itching and pain. The BP harmed BP- and pruritus-related QoL and mental health, with 31% and 38% of patients experiencing depression and anxiety in the “Borderline/Abnormal” range, respectively, and BP was also associated with a high economic burden, as reflected by increased healthcare resource utilization, including longer hospital stays (7.3 days in patients with BP vs. 4.7 days in those without BP) and direct disease-related costs.
They concluded a detailed assessment of the evidence base for BP, characterizing critical aspects of the disease burden, including clinical, humanistic, and economic factors, and the findings emphasized the rare disease was associated with a substantial burden on patients, with important implications for clinical practice in the management of BP.
