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

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 18; no. 12; p. e0295026
• Main Authors: Fallah, Maryam, Najafi, Anahita, Balighi, Kamran, Daneshpazhooh, Maryam, Ebrahimpour-Koujan, Soraiya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 11.12.2023; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Autoimmune diseases; Biology and Life Sciences; Body mass index; Body size; Chronic illnesses; Cross-sectional studies; Diabetes; Diet; Eating; Eating behavior; Fatty acids; Food habits; Food intake; Fruit juices; Grain; Health aspects; Immune system; Inflammation; Legumes; Medicine and Health Sciences; Membranes; Nutrition; Nutrition research; Nutritionists; Nuts; Pemphigus; Product/Service Evaluations; Questionnaires; Risk factors; Skin diseases; Type 2 diabetes; Vegetables; Iran
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295026

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. 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. 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). 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.