F1000 Med Rep. 2009 Feb 24;1. doi: 10.3410/M1-15.
F1000 medicine reports
Enno Schmidt, Detlef Zillikens
PMID: 20948767 PMCID: PMC2920699 DOI: 10.3410/M1-15
The use of a broad spectrum of novel detection systems for autoantibodies to the basement membrane proteins BP180 and BP230 has greatly facilitated the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid, which most likely explains its increasing incidence in central Europe. Because the pathogenic relevance of antibodies to human BP180 has been convincingly shown both in vitro and in vivo, repeated testing for these antibodies appears to be helpful in guiding treatment decisions during the course of the disease.