The association of bullous pemphigoid (BP) with the use of dipeptidylpeptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors among patients with diabetes has recently emerged. The risk of developing BP during treatment with new DPP-4 inhibitor agents like linagliptin is yet to be established. The clinical features and the prognostic outcomes of patients with DPP-4 inhibitor-associated BP are yet to be established. OBJECTIVES Primarily to estimate the association between DPP-4 inhibitor exposure and the development of BP, and secondarily to characterize the clinical features and history of patients with DPP-4 inhibitor-associated BP. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A retrospective case-control study of the intake of different DPP-4 inhibitor agents and metformin and occurrence of BP among patients with diabetes in a tertiary care referral center for autoimmune bullous diseases in northern Israel. Included were 82 consecutive patients with diabetes and immunopathologically validated BP diagnosed between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2017, and 328 age-, sex-, and ethnicity-matched control participants with diabetes but without BP. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Patients with diabetes and BP and exposure to DPP-4 inhibitors were followed up for a median of 2.0 years and compared with other patients with diabetes and BP who were not exposed to DPP-4 inhibitors regarding clinical and immunological features, laboratory analyses, treatments, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS Eighty-two patients with BP and 328 age-and sex-matched control participants were enrolled; mean (SD) age, 79.1 (9.1) years; and 44 patients were female (53.7%). Overall, DPP-4 inhibitor intake was associated with a 3-fold increased risk for BP (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.2; 95% CI, 1.9-5.4). The adjusted ORs for vildagliptin and linagliptin were 10.7 (95% CI, 5.1-22.4) and 6.7 (95% CI, 2.2-19.7), respectively. The association of DPP-4 inhibitor use with BP was independent of the use of metformin and was stronger among male (OR, 4.46; 95% CI, 2.11-9.40) than female (OR, 1.88; 95%, CI 0.92-3.86) patients and strongest in patients younger than 70 years (OR, 5.59; 95% CI, 1.73-18.01). Patients with DPP-4 inhibitorassociated BP presented with higher mucosal involvement (22.2% vs 6.5%; P = .04) and lower mean (SD) peripheral eosinophil counts (399.8 [508.0] vs 1117.6 [1847.6] cells/μL; P = .01) than those with BP who had not been exposed to DPP-4 inhibitor. Discontinuation of DPP-4 inhibitor treatment was followed by improved clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Vildagliptin and, to a lesser extent, linagliptin are associated with an increased risk of BP. This may partly explain the increasing incidence of BP in Israel. Discontinuation of DPP-4 inhibitor treatment in patients with diabetes should be considered when BP is diagnosed.

Pemphigus forms a group of rare autoimmune bullous diseases that affect the skin and mucous membranes. This group has a chronic course leading to high morbidity and mortality. It is characterized by the production of pathogenic autoantibodies directed against different proteins of the desmosome, leading histologically to intraepidermal cleavage, and clinically to vesicles and erosions on the epithelium of the mucous membranes and/or the skin. The diagnosis of the subtype of pemphigus is based on clinical features, the level of histologic cleavage, and the identification of the antigens recognized by circulating autoantibodies by immunoserological analyses. The epidemiological features of pemphigus vary considerably in different regions of the world. Observational studies examining comorbidities and associations among patients with pemphigus are scarce and sometimes inconclusive. The prognosis, mortality, and clinical outcomes in pemphigus have undergone dramatic change throughout the years. This review provides a brief overview about the different subtypes of pemphigus: pemphigus vulgaris, pemphigus foliaceus, paraneoplastic pemphigus, pemphigus herpetiformis, and IgA pemphigus. In addition, it summarizes the most recent understanding of the epidemiology, mortality data, and comorbidities of this group of organ-specific autoimmune diseases.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common type of subepidermal autoimmune bullous diseases. BP characteristically affects the elderly and is seen mainly in patients older than 70 years. While the annual incidence of BP has been estimated to be between 2.4 and 23 cases per million in the general population, it rises exponentially to 190–312 cases per million in individuals older than 80 years. In addition, a growing body of evidence reports a remarkable trend of increased incidence of BP, showing a 1.9- to 4.3-fold rise over the past two decades. This demonstrable increase warrants a higher awareness of the increased risk to develop BP. This review summarizes the current understanding of the epidemiological features of BP and sheds light on the putative explanations for its growing incidence.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disease which carries a significant mortality and morbidity. While historically BP has been characterized as an IgG driven disease mediated by anti-BP180 and BP230 IgG autoantibodies, developments in recent years have further elucidated the role of eosinophils and IgE autoantibodies. In fact, eosinophil infiltration and eosinophilic spongiosis are prominent features in BP. Several observations support a pathogenic role of eosinophils in BP: IL-5, eotaxin, and eosinophil-colony stimulating factor are present in blister fluid; eosinophils line the dermo-epidermal junction (DEJ) in the presence of BP serum, metalloprotease-9 is released by eosinophils at the site of blisters; eosinophil degranulation proteins are found on the affected basement membrane zone as well as in serum corresponding with clinical disease; eosinophil extracellular DNA traps directed against the basement membrane zone are present, IL-5 activated eosinophils cause separation of the DEJ in the presence of BP serum; and eosinophils are the necessary cell required to drive anti-BP180 IgE mediated skin blistering. Still, it is likely that eosinophils contribute to the pathogenesis of BP in numerous other ways that have yet to be explored based on the known biology of eosinophils. We herein will review the role of eosinophils in BP and provide a framework for understanding eosinophil pathogenic mechanisms in mucocutaneous disease.

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a life-threatening disease belonging to the pemphigus group of autoimmune intra-epidermal bullous diseases of the skin and mucosae. The therapeutic management of PV remains challenging and, in some cases, conventional therapy is not adequate to induce clinical remission. The cornerstone of PV treatment remains systemic corticosteroids. Although very effective, long-term corticosteroid administration is characterized by substantial adverse effects. Corticosteroid-sparing adjuvant therapies have been employed in the treatment of PV, aiming to reduce the necessary cumulative dose of corticosteroids. Specifically, immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil are widely used in PV. More recently, high-dose intravenous immunoglobulins, immunoadsorption, and rituximab have been established as additional successful therapeutic options. This review covers both conventional and emerging therapies in PV. In addition, it sheds light on potential future treatment strategies for this disease.

Objective Individuals with schizophrenia may be at an increased risk for COVID-19 morbidity due to the disease characteristics. In this study, we aimed to explore the odds of significant COVID-19 morbidity and mortality among schizophrenia patients while controlling for potential sociodemographic and medical confounders. Methods Schizophrenia patients and age-and-sex matched controls (total n = 51 078) were assessed for frequency of COVID-19 positivity, hospitalizations, and mortality. The odds for COVID-19-associated hospitalization and mortality were calculated using logistic regression models, while controlling for age, sex, marital status, sector, socioeconomic status, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, smoking, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Results Individuals with schizophrenia were less likely to test positive for COVID-19; however, they were twice as likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 (OR 2.15 95% CI 1.63–2.82, P < .0001), even after controlling for sociodemographic and clinical risk factors (OR 1.88 95% CI 1.39–2.55, P < .0001). Furthermore, they were 3 times more likely to experience COVID-19 mortality (OR 3.27 95% CI 1.39–7.68, P < .0001), compared to controls. Conclusions We found evidence of associations between schizophrenia and increased COVID-19 morbidity and mortality compared to controls regardless of sociodemographic and medical factors. As these patients present with a combination of potential risk factors for mortality, efforts should be made to minimize the effects of the pandemic on this vulnerable population.

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The many clinical aspects of anti-p200 pemphigoid are not well-characterized. We aimed to analyze and correlate known existing data on the epidemiological, clinical, histological, and immunological features of anti-p200 pemphigoid. We performed a review using Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases (1900–2018). Case reports and series of patients were included. A total of 68 eligible studies that comprised 113 anti-p200 pemphigoid patients were included in the qualitative analysis, where there was a mean age of onset of 65.5 years. All patients presented with bullae/vesicles, and 54.3% had urticarial plaques. A similarity to bullous pemphigoid was reported in 66.1% of cases, but palmoplantar (51.4%), cephalic (40.3%), and mucosal (38.5%) involvement, besides frequent development of scars/milia (15.7%), were reported. Autoantibodies against recombinant laminin γ1 were detected in the sera of 73.1% of patients. Psoriasis was present in 28.3% of anti-p200 pemphigoid patients, particularly among Japanese patients (56.4%). The incidence of pustular psoriasis in this subgroup, was significantly greater than in the normal population. In conclusion, the diagnosis of anti-p200 pemphigoid may be suspected when a subepidermal autoimmune blistering disease develops in a younger age group, along with significant acral and cephalic distribution and mucosal involvement.