The epidemiology of autoimmune bullous diseases in Sudan between 2000 and 2016

Abstract

Objectives Autoimmune bullous diseases vary in their clinico-epidemiological features and burden across populations. Data about these diseases was lacking in Sudan. We aimed to describe the epidemiological profile and to estimate the burden of autoimmune bullous diseases in Sudan. Methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at Khartoum Dermatological and Venereal Diseases Teaching Hospital. We used routinely collected health care data, and included all patients with an autoimmune bullous disease who presented to the hospital between 2001 and 2016. Results Out of the 4736 patients who were admitted to the hospital during the study period, 923 (19.5%) had an autoimmune bullous disease. The average rate of patients at the hospital was 57.7 per year representing 1.3 per 100,000 population per year. After exclusion of patients where the final diagnosis was missing, 585 were included in the further analysis. Pemphigus vulgaris was the most common disease (50.9%), followed by bullous pemphigoid (28.2%), linear IgA disease/chronic bullous disease of childhood (8.4%), and pemphigus foliaceous (8.2%). Pemphigoid gestationis and IgA pemphigus constituted 1.4% and 1.2% of the cohort, respectively. Paraneoplastic pemphigus, mucous membrane pemphigoid, lichen planus pemphigoidis, bullous systemic lupus erythematosus, and dermatitis herpetiformis were rare. None of the patients had epidermolysis bullosa acquisita. Conclusions The clinico-epidemiological characteristics vary among the types of autoimmune bullous diseases. Females were more predominant in most of them. Sudanese patients tended in general to present at a younger age than other populations. The pool of Sudanese patients with autoimmune bullous diseases is large which requires investigation for the local risk factors and presents a field for future trials.

Pediatric autoimmune blistering disorders – a five‐year demographic profile and therapy experience

“…None of the patients in our study had bullous systemic lupus erythematosus. However, this is consistent with the epidemiology of AIBD in adults in which pemphigus is observed to be the most frequent AIBD in studies from Iran, Greece, and Sudan 5–7 . The variation in the spectrum of AIBD in our study as compared to the previous studies in the pediatric population can be attributed to the genetic variations in different populations, and environmental factors such as dietary habits (use of garlic, etc.)…”

Epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of dermatitis herpetiformis at Yalgado Ouédraogo University Hospital Centre, Burkina Faso

“…This was similar to reports in the literature indicating that DH most often develops between the second and seventh year of life, as found by Ermacora et al [10]. Other studies, however, have shown a predominance of DH in adults aged between 25.6 and 66 years [2,5,6,11].…”

“…Coast and in Sudan found a prevalence of 20.9 for 100,000 patients [4] and 5 cases in 16 years [5], respectively. In view of the rarity of African data and the difficulties of diagnosis in our context, we undertook the present study to document the sociodemographic, clinical, and therapeutic aspects of DH in a hospital setting.…”

The Prevalence of Clinically Undiagnosed Depression in Patients With Autoimmune Bullous Diseases Seen at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, Durban, South Africa

“…Bullous diseases are blistering eruptions of the skin and/or mucous membranes which are classified as either autoimmune or non-autoimmune dermatoses. They account for 0.5% and 19.5% of all dermatology outpatients in South Africa [1] and Sudan [2], respectively. In the Western Cape province of South Africa, bullous diseases account for 5.3% of all admitted dermatology patients [3], indicating an increased burden of these dermatoses to the dermatology workforce.…”