Association of alternative healthy eating index and severity of pemphigus vulgaris: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Evidence on the association between following healthy eating and the severity of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is scarce. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between adherence to the alternative healthy eating index (AHEI) and the severity of Pemphigus vulgaris disease in adults. Methods In this hospital-based cross-sectional study, a total of 138 pemphigus vulgaris cases were studied, of which 108 had pemphigus disease area index (PDAI) ≤15, and 30 had PDAI>15. Dietary intakes were assessed using a valid 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). To calculate the AHEI, the data received from the diet were used. The subjects of this index received a score of 1–10. The final AHEI was calculated by summing the component scores. Results After adjusting for age and sex, we found that individuals with the highest AHEI score were 72% less likely to have increased PV severity compared with those with the lowest score (OR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.08–0.92, P trend = 0.020). Further control for another potential confounder, intake energy, made the association stronger (OR: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.06–0.88, P trend = 0.017). Also, after controlling the body mass index (BMI) confounding factor, it maintained its strong relationship (OR: 0.24; 95% CI: 0.06–0.88, P trend = 0.016). Conclusion The evidence of our study shows that following the healthy eating index is associated with a reduction in the severity of pemphigus vulgaris. Prospective cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings.