Background: The value of 230-kDa bullous pemphigoid antibody (BP230) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid (BP) was investigated, but in the immunological follow-up of the disease remains unknown.
Objective: Evaluation of BP230 ELISA for diagnosis, follow-up and prediction of relapse in BP.
Methods: Monocenter retrospective and prospective study. Patients with typical BP. Detection of autoantibodies by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF), BP180 and BP230 ELISA tests at diagnosis, during the treatment (disease control or failure) and at treatment stop (relapse or not 3 months after).
Results: 74 patients were included. At diagnosis, BP230 ELISA sensitivity was lower than IIF and BP180 ELISA. Combining both ELISA added a weak gain of sensitivity. Both tests paralleled the clinical evolution, especially in case of disease control. At the end of the treatment, BP230 ELISA was not different in patients with or without relapse.
Conclusion: In routine practice, BP230 ELISA does not seem to be a useful additional test in typical BP.
Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.