DERMOSCOPIC FEATURES OF CHRONIC PLAQUE PSORIASIS AND THEIR CORRELATION WITH CLINICAL DISEASE SEVERITY: A CROSS-SECTIONAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY
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Keywords
Psoriasis, Dermoscopy, Dermoscopic Features, Chronic Plaque Psoriasis, PASI Score, Disease Severity, Dotted Vessels, Hemorrhagic Dots, White Circles, Dermoscopic Vascular Patterns
Abstract
Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis characterized by variable clinical severity. Dermoscopy provides a non-invasive method for visualizing vascular and surface changes that may not be readily appreciated clinically. The present study was undertaken to evaluate dermoscopic features of chronic plaque psoriasis and determine their relationship with disease severity.
Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 100 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis. Demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded, and disease severity was assessed using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Dermoscopic examination was performed to document vascular, scaling and other characteristic dermoscopic features. Patients were categorized according to PASI severity, and the association between dermoscopic findings and disease severity was assessed.
Results: Of the 100 patients, 62 (62%) were males and 38 (38%) were females. The most common age group was 31–40 years (27%). Mild, moderate and severe psoriasis were observed in 47%, 28% and 25% of patients, respectively. Regularly distributed dotted vessels were the most common dermoscopic finding (82%), followed by white scales (76%) and red background (71%). Hemorrhagic dots/globules were observed in 42% and white circles in 31% of patients. A predefined positive dermoscopic pattern was present in 25 patients (25%). Among these 25 patients, 13 (52%) had severe psoriasis. The mean PASI score was higher among patients with the positive dermoscopic pattern (12.8 ± 3.6) than among those without it (5.9 ± 3.1). Positive correlations were observed between PASI and several vascular dermoscopic features.
Conclusion: Dermoscopy demonstrated characteristic vascular and surface changes in chronic plaque psoriasis. The higher frequency of selected dermoscopic findings among patients with greater PASI scores suggests that dermoscopy may provide useful complementary information for clinical assessment of psoriasis severity. Further studies with larger samples and longitudinal follow-up are warranted to validate these associations.
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