2026 Volume 8 Issue 1 Pages 3-10
Objective: The goal of the study was to investigate the impact of early Nutrition Support Team (NST) intervention in patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP). BP is a common autoimmune disease in elderly people. Patients are susceptible to malnutrition due to protein loss from skin lesions and increased catabolism caused by steroid therapy.
Subjects and Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed for 7 patients who were diagnosed with BP at our hospital and referred to the NST between April 2017 and January 2024. The primary endpoint was the relationship between the timing of NST intervention and outcomes, with a focus on avoidance of severe complications in the early intervention group.
Results: The average period until NST intervention was significantly shorter in the home discharge group (n = 3) compared to the transfer/death group (n = 4) (5 (5–17) vs. 22.5 (18–37.5) days, p = 0.048). The nutritional intake rate was ≥80% for all patients in the home discharge group, but only 72.5 (33–85.75) % in the transfer/death group. There were no new complications in early intervention cases after intervention.
Conclusion: Early NST intervention may contribute to meeting required nutritional intake and favorable outcomes in patients with severe BP. Evaluation of serum albumin alone is limited. Our results reaffirm the importance of comprehensive nutritional assessment, such as with use of the GLIM criteria.
