Bullous pemphigoid and comorbidities: a case-control study in Portuguese patients

BACKGROUND: Although rare, bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common autoimmune blistering disease. Recent studies have shown that patients with bullous pemphigoid are more likely to have neurological and psychiatric diseases, particularly prior to the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid. OBJECTIVE: The aims were: (i) to evaluate the demographic and clinical features of bullous pemphigoid from a database of patients at a Portuguese university hospital and (ii) to compare the prevalence of comorbid conditions before the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid with a control group. METHODS: Seventy-seven patients with bullous pemphigoid were enrolled in the study. They were compared with 176 age- and gender-matched controls, which also had the same inpatient to outpatient ratio, but no history of bullous or cutaneous malignant disease. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to calculate odds ratios for specific comorbid diseases. RESULTS: At least one neurologic diagnosis was present in 55.8% of BP patients compared with 20.5% controls (p<0.001). Comparing cases to controls, stroke was seen in 35.1 vs. 6.8%, OR 8.10 (3.80-17.25); dementia in 37.7 vs. 11.9%, OR 5.25 (2.71-10.16); and Parkinson's disease in 5.2 vs. 1.1%, OR 4.91 (0.88-27.44). Using multivariate analysis, all diseases except Parkinson's retained their association with BP. Patients under systemic treatment were eight times more likely to have complications than those treated with topical steroids (p< 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study substantiate the association between BP and neurological diseases. In addition, they highlight the potential complications associated with the treatment of BP

A machine-learning based bio-psycho-social model for the prediction of non-obstructive and obstructive coronary artery disease

Background: Mechanisms of myocardial ischemia in obstructive and non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), and the interplay between clinical, functional, biological and psycho-social features, are still far to be fully elucidated. Objectives: To develop a machine-learning (ML) model for the supervised prediction of obstructive versus non-obstructive CAD. Methods: From the EVA study, we analysed adults hospitalized for IHD undergoing conventional coronary angiography (CCA). Non-obstructive CAD was defined by a stenosis &lt; 50% in one or more vessels. Baseline clinical and psycho-socio-cultural characteristics were used for computing a Rockwood and Mitnitski frailty index, and a gender score according to GENESIS-PRAXY methodology. Serum concentration of inflammatory cytokines was measured with a multiplex flow cytometry assay. Through an XGBoost classifier combined with an explainable artificial intelligence tool (SHAP), we identified the most influential features in discriminating obstructive versus non-obstructive CAD. Results: Among the overall EVA cohort (n = 509), 311 individuals (mean age 67 ± 11&nbsp;years, 38% females; 67% obstructive CAD) with complete data were analysed. The ML-based model (83% accuracy and 87% precision) showed that while obstructive CAD was associated with higher frailty index, older age and a cytokine signature characterized by IL-1β, IL-12p70 and IL-33, non-obstructive CAD was associated with a higher gender score (i.e., social characteristics traditionally ascribed to women) and with a cytokine signature characterized by IL-18, IL-8, IL-23. Conclusions: Integrating clinical, biological, and psycho-social features, we have optimized a sex- and gender-unbiased model that discriminates obstructive and non-obstructive CAD. Further mechanistic studies will shed light on the biological plausibility of these associations. Clinical trial registration: NCT02737982

The Sex-Specific Detrimental Effect of Diabetes and Gender-Related Factors on Pre-admission Medication Adherence Among Patients Hospitalized for Ischemic Heart Disease: Insights From EVA Study

Background: Sex and gender-related factors have been under-investigated as relevant determinants of health outcomes across non-communicable chronic diseases. Poor medication adherence results in adverse clinical outcomes and sex differences have been reported among patients at high cardiovascular risk, such as diabetics. The effect of diabetes and gender-related factors on medication adherence among women and men at high risk for ischemic heart disease (IHD) has not yet been fully investigated.Aim: To explore the role of sex, gender-related factors, and diabetes in pre-admission medication adherence among patients hospitalized for IHD.Materials and Methods: Data were obtained from the Endocrine Vascular disease Approach (EVA) (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02737982), a prospective cohort of patients admitted for IHD. We selected patients with baseline information regarding the presence of diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors, and gender-related variables (i.e., gender identity, gender role, gender relations, institutionalized gender). Our primary outcome was the proportion of pre-admission medication adherence defined through a self-reported questionnaire. We performed a sex-stratified analysis of clinical and gender-related factors associated with pre-admission medication adherence.Results: Two-hundred eighty patients admitted for IHD (35% women, mean age 70), were included. Around one-fourth of the patients were low-adherent to therapy before hospitalization, regardless of sex. Low-adherent patients were more likely diabetic (40%) and employed (40%). Sex-stratified analysis showed that low-adherent men were more likely to be employed (58 vs. 33%) and not primary earners (73 vs. 54%), with more masculine traits of personality, as compared with medium-high adherent men. Interestingly, women reporting medication low-adherence were similar for clinical and gender-related factors to those with medium-high adherence, except for diabetes (42 vs. 20%, p = 0.004). In a multivariate adjusted model only employed status was associated with poor medication adherence (OR 0.55, 95%CI 0.31–0.97). However, in the sex-stratified analysis, diabetes was independently associated with medication adherence only in women (OR 0.36; 95%CI 0.13–0.96), whereas a higher masculine BSRI was the only factor associated with medication adherence in men (OR 0.59, 95%CI 0.35–0.99).Conclusion: Pre-admission medication adherence is common in patients hospitalized for IHD, regardless of sex. However, patient-related factors such as diabetes, employment, and personality traits are associated with adherence in a sex-specific manner

Histiocitose de células de Langerhans com acometimento vulvar e com resposta terapêutica à talidomida: relato de caso Langerhans cells histiocytosis with vulvar involvement and responding to thalidomide therapy: case report

A histiocitose de células de Langerhans é representante de um raro grupo de síndromes histiocitárias, sendo caracterizada pela proliferação das células de Langerhans. Suas manifestações variam de lesão solitária a envolvimento multissistêmico, sendo o acometimento vulvar incomum. Segue-se o relato de caso refratário da doença limitada à pele, em mulher de 57 anos. A paciente apresentava história de pápulas eritematosas ulceradas em couro cabeludo, face, vulva, tronco e axila há seis anos. O diagnóstico da doença é difícil, sendo confirmado neste caso através de estudo imuno-histoquímico e se obteve resposta terapêutica e eficaz, com a administração de talidomida<br>Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a member of a group of rare histiocytic syndromes and is characterized for the proliferation of histiocytes called Langerhans'cells. Its manifestations vary from a solitary injury to systemic involvement, and vulvar lesions are uncommon. We describe a refractory case of cutaneous limited disease in a 57-year-old woman. She presented with a 6-year history of an erythematous papular eruption of the scalp, face, vulva, trunk and axillae. The diagnosis is difficult and in this case it was confirmed through immunohistochemical study and clinical improvement was achieved with thalidomid

The sex-specific detrimental effect of diabetes and gender-related factors on pre-admission medication adherence among patients hospitalized for ischemic heart disease: insights from EVA study

Background: Sex and gender-related factors have been under-investigated as relevant determinants of health outcomes across non-communicable chronic diseases. Poor medication adherence results in adverse clinical outcomes and sex differences have been reported among patients at high cardiovascular risk, such as diabetics. The effect of diabetes, gender-related factors, and diabetes in women, gender-related factors, and diabetes in pre-admission medication adherence among hospitalized patients for IHD. We selected patients with baseline information regarding the presence of diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors, and gender-related variables (i.e., gender identity, gender role, gender relations, institutionalized gender). Our primary outcome was the proportion of pre-admission medication adherence defined through a self-reported questionnaire.We performed a sex-stratified analysis of clinical and gender-related factors associated with pre-admission medication adherence. Results: Two-hundred eighty patients admitted for IHD (35% women, mean age 70), were included. Around one-fourth of patients was low-adherent to therapy before hospitalization, regardless of sex. Low-adherent patients were more likely diabetic (40%) and employed (40%). Sex-stratified analysis showed low-adherent men were more likely to be employed (58 vs. 33%) and not primary earners (73 vs. 54%), with more masculine traits of personality, as compared with medium-high adherent men . Interestingly, reporting women with medium-high adherence, except for diabetes (42 vs. 20%, p = 0.004) was similar to clinical and gender-related factors. In a multivariate adjusted model only received status was associated with poor medication adherence (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.31-0.97). However, in the sex-stratified analysis, diabetes was independently associated with medication adherence only in women (OR 0.36; 95% CI 0.13-0.96), whereas a higher masculine BSRI was the only factor associated with medication adherence in men (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.35-0.99) .Conclusion: Pre-admission medication is common in patients hospitalized for IHD, regardless of sex. However, patient-related factors are associated with adherence in a sex-specific manner