Frequency of Neurological Disorders in Bullous Pemphigoid Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune subepidermal blistering skin disorder which occurs mostly in the elderly. Several studies have reported an association between BP and neurological disorders (ND). OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between BP and neurological disorders in Iranian patients. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, 87 patients with BP were enrolled. They were compared to 184 controls. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS statistical software version 19. RESULTS Out of 87 patients with BP, 17 (19.5%) had at least one neurological disease. Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) was the most common neurological disease that was seen in 7 patients (8.0%) in the case group and 4 (2.1%) in the control group. The incidence of CVA was significantly different between BP patients and the control group (P = 0.022). Dementia was observed in 6 patients in the case group (16.8%) and 2 (1.0%) in the control group. The incidence of dementia was significantly different between BP patients and the control group (P = 0.008). In this study, the incidences of Parkinson's disease (P = 0.830), epilepsy (P = 0.067), and multiple sclerosis (P = 0.326) were not statistically significant between the two groups. CONCLUSION The incidence of CVA and dementia in patients with BP compared to the control group was significantly higher.