The reported mortality rates and prognoses of bullous pemphigoid (BP) vary among different countries. However, the mortality rate of BP has not been investigated in Korea.

We sought to evaluate the mortality rate of Korean patients with BP in comparison to that of an age-matched general population in Korea, and to identify prognostic factors affecting overall survival.

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 168 patients diagnosed with BP between 1993 and 2013 at Gangnam Severance Hospital in Seoul, Korea.

The 1-, 2-, and 5-year mortality rates of BP patients were 19.46% (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.83-27.00), 29.13% (95% CI, 21.91-38.08), and 58.03% (95% CI, 47.04-69.45), respectively. The median age was 73 years (range, 6-99 years). The standardized mortality ratio ranged from 2.43 (95% CI, 0.12-11.96) to 9.56 (95% CI, 2.43-26.02), depending on the age group. In multivariate analysis, old age at the time of diagnosis, stroke, diabetes, and delayed diagnosis were associated with increased mortality.

This study was conducted as a retrospective analysis and was based at a single institution.

The mortality rate of patients with BP is significantly higher than that for the general population.