A 1,035-Subject Study Suggesting a History of Bone Fracture as a Possible Factor Associated with the Development of Anti-BP180 Autoantibodies

Abstract

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disorder that presents as tense blister formation on the body (Schmidt and Zillikens, 2013). BP autoantibodies target two hemidesmosomal components in basal keratinocytes: BP180 and BP230 (Schmidt and Zillikens, 2013). In BP, 80‒90% of autoantibodies target the NC16A domain of BP180 (Ishiko et al., 1993). It remains largely unclear why anti-BP180 autoantibodies develop in certain individuals, and there is limited information about the prevalence of anti-BP180 autoantibodies in healthy individuals.