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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffThe cause of bullous pemphigoid is not well understood. The blisters and other skin irritation occur because of a malfunction in the immune system.
Your body's immune system normally produces antibodies to fight bacteria, viruses or other potentially harmful foreign substances. For reasons that are not clear, the body may develop an antibody to a particular tissue in your body.
In bullous pemphigoid, the immune system produces antibodies to the skin's basement membrane, a thin layer of fibers connecting the outer layer of skin (dermis) and the next layer of skin (epidermis). These antibodies trigger inflammatory activity that produces the blisters, hives and itching of bullous pemphigoid.
Contributing factors
Bullous pemphigoid usually appears randomly with no clear factors contributing to the onset of disease. A small percentage of cases may be triggered by certain treatments, including:
- Prescription medications to treat rheumatoid arthritis or fluid retention
- Ultraviolet light therapy to treat certain skin conditions or inflammatory disorders
- Radiation therapy to treat cancer
- Bullous pemphigoid. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec10/ch112/ch112b.html. Accessed April 21, 2010.
- Goldstein BG, et al. Bullous pemphigoid and other pemphigoid disorders. http://uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 15, 2010.
- Stanley J. Bullous pemphigoid. In: Wolff K, et al., eds. Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. 7th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2950538. Accessed April 21, 2010.
- Kirtschig G, et al. Management of bullous pemphigoid: Recommendations for immunomodulatory treatments. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology. 2004;5:319.
- Patton T, et al. Bullous pemphigoid treatment review. Expert Opinion in Pharmacotherapy. 2006;7:2403.
- Glucocorticosteroid-induced osteoporosis. American College of Rheumatology. http://www.rheumatology.org/practice/clinical/patients/diseases_and_conditions/gi-osteoporosis.asp. Accessed April 15, 2010.
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