The following is a summary of “Autoimmune blistering disorders and cardiovascular risks: A population-based cohort study,” published in the July 2024 issue of Dermatology by Bonnesen, et al.

There is a potential link between autoimmune blistering disorders (ABDs) and increased cardiovascular risk, but research in this area was limited. For a study, researchers sought to determine whether ABDs are associated with a higher risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure, arrhythmia, venous thromboembolism, and cardiovascular death.

They conducted a population-based cohort study involving Danish patients diagnosed with ABD (aged 18 and older) between 1996 and 2021 (n = 3,322). This group was compared with an age- and sex-matched cohort from the general population (n = 33,195).

Compared to the general population, patients with ABDs exhibited higher 1-year risks of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (3.4% vs. 1.6%), heart failure (1.9% vs. 0.7%), arrhythmia (3.8% vs. 1.3%), venous thromboembolism (1.9% vs. 0.3%), and cardiovascular death (3.3% vs. 0.9%). These risks remained elevated after 10 years for all outcomes except arrhythmia. Hazard ratios for ABDs associated with these conditions over the entire follow-up period were 1.24 (1.09-1.40) for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, 1.48 (1.24-1.77) for heart failure, 1.16 (1.02-1.32) for arrhythmia, 1.87 (1.50-2.34) for venous thromboembolism, and 2.01 (1.76-2.29) for cardiovascular death. The increased cardiovascular risk was noted in patients with pemphigus and pemphigoid. The results might only apply to patients with ABDs who do not already have cardiovascular diseases.

Patients with ABDs face a higher cardiovascular risk compared to age- and sex-matched individuals from the general population.

Reference: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962224004869