Drug associated bullous pemphigoid: what's new?

Abstract

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is considered to be one of the most common autoimmune diseases affecting the skin. Drug associated BP (DABP) is a subset of BP that is caused by the ingestion of specific types of medications. Until this point more than 80 medications have been associated with this condition that only recently has started to be better described. DABP has a better clinical course and prognosis compared to that of idiopathic BP, especially when the suspected inciting medication is discontinued in a timely manner. Therefore, it is very important to obtain detailed medical histories from BP patients especially if they are receiving multiple medications and also to be vigilant for subtle, but important, indications in histopathological, ELISA and immunofluorescence findings as well as in the clinical manifestations of the disorder.