Table 2.
Demographic, clinical, and immunological characteristics of patients with DPP4i-associated BP compared with diabetic patients not taking DPP4i
| DPP4i-associated BP (n = 24) | Non-DPP4i-associated diabetic BP (n = 51) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at diagnosis; years | |||
| Mean (SD) | 77.5 (6.4) | 79.7 (8.8) | 0.225 |
| Sex, n (%) | |||
| Male | 11 (45.8) | 29 (56.9) | 0.372 |
| Female | 13 (54.2) | 22 (43.1) | |
| Distribution of bullous lesions; n (%) | |||
| Limbs | 18 (75.0) | 46 (90.2) | 0.175 |
| Trunk | 23 (95.8) | 38 (74.5) | 0.085 |
| Hands/feet | 11 (45.8) | 21 (41.2) | 0.709 |
| Head and neck | 7 (29.2) | 19 (37.3) | 0.495 |
| Mucosal involvement | 3 (12.5) | 4 (7.8) | 0.516 |
| Non-inflammatory phenotype, n (%)* | 1 (6.3) | 6 (21.4) | 0.192 |
| Mean BPDAI severity score (SD)* | |||
| Erosions/blister activity | 29.8 (17.4) | 23.4 (14.9) | 0.128 |
| Urticaria/erythema activity | 12.5 (6.8) | 8.7 (11.7) | 0.145 |
| Damage score | 2.2 (3.6) | 2.4 (3.6) | 0.824 |
| Pruritus score | 20.3 (10.1) | 18.8 (8.4) | 0.531 |
| Anti-BP180 NC16A ELISA** | |||
| Seropositivity, n (%) | 20 (83.3) | 43 (87.8) | 0. 602 |
| ELISA value, mean (SD); U/ml | 279.2 (346.1) | 696.2 (1340.1) | 0.045 |
| Anti-BP230 ELISA*** | |||
| Seropositivity, n (%) | 3 (30.0) | 13 (81.3) | 0.010 |
| ELISA value, mean (SD); U/ml | 25.5 (47.8) | 211.4 (330.3) | 0.042 |
Significant values are shown in bold
Anti-BP180 NC16A and anti-BP230 antibodies levels were measured via ELISA; cutoff: 20.0 U/ml
BP bullous pemphigoid, BPDAI Bullous Pemphigoid Disease Area Index, DPP4i dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor(s), ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, n number, SD standard deviation
*Was calculated for 16 patients with DPP4i-associated BP and for 28 diabetic patients with non-DPP4i-associated BP
**Was performed in all patients with DPP4i-associated BP and in 49 diabetic patients with non-DPP4i-associated BP
***Was performed in 10 patients with DPP4i-associated BP and in 16 diabetic patients with non-DPP4i-associated BP