BULLOUS PEMPHIGOID AND AUTOIMMUNITY

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 disord ers in patients with BP and whether there is a particular haplotype as sociated with this. Methods: A total of 108 patients with BP were stud ied and compared with a group of 108 age- and sex-matched controls. HL A typing at the A, B, C, and DR loci was performed on 55 of the 108 pa tients with BP. Results: The difference in incidence of autoimmune dis orders between patients and controls was not significant. The haplotyp es of patients with BP were similar to those of a locally drawn popula tion. 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.