The global incidence of bullous pemphigoid: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Br J Dermatol. 2021 Sep 4. doi: 10.1111/bjd.20743. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTBullous pemphigoid is an autoimmune blistering disorder that mainly affects older people. Although the disease is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, the burden of disease worldwide is unclear. The study aim is to pool the global incidence of bullous pemphigoid and determine whether this varies according to geographic area, age group, setting, and study quality. Ovid Embase, MEDLINE, and grey literature were systematically searched on 7th April 2020. Two reviewers independently screened, extracted data, and appraised each study's quality using the JBI critical appraisal tool. Two domains, indicative of selection and survey bias, were used to identify high quality studies. The cumulative incidence was standardised to one year and pooled in a random-effects meta-analysis. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted. Twenty-six studies were identified, of which 22 provided cumulative incidence and four provided incidence rates. The cumulative incidence of bullous pemphigoid was 8.2 (95%CI 4.8 to 13.7) per million people whereas the incidence rate was 34.2 (95%CI 19.2 to 60.7) per million person-years. Of the continents that contributed more than one study, the cumulative incidence was 10.3 (95%CI 5.8 to 18.2) and 5.6 (95%CI 3.5 to 9.0) per million people in Europe and Asia, respectively. The incidence was highestin studies including adults only (N=2), in population-based studi...
Source: The British Journal of Dermatology - Category: Dermatology Authors: Source Type: research