Anticholinergics, dopaminergic drugs, DPP-4 inhibitors and aldosterone antagonists might each play a role in the development of bullous pemphigoid, according to the first meta-analysis on the subject.

The findings suggest these medications should be prescribed with caution in elderly patients, particularly those with pre-existing neurological conditions, the researchers say.

Taiwanese researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, including more than 285,000 participants in 13 case-control studies, a cohort study and a randomised controlled trial.

The mean age of patients in the included studies varied from 66-82 years and the number of participants varied from 36 to nearly 228,000.