Dermoscopic features of psoriasis of the skin, scalp and nails – a systematic review

Abstract

Dermoscopy is a non-invasive in-office method, which enables the diagnosis of many dermatoses and reduces the need for performing biopsies. To date, no systematic review about the diagnostic usability of dermoscopy in psoriasis has been available. The objective of this article was to summarize and critically analyse literature data on the dermoscopy of skin, scalp and nail changes in psoriasis. A systematic search of three medical databases was performed. A total of 45 articles were included into the analysis. Cutaneous psoriatic lesions assessed in all studies at a low magnification showed regularly distributed red dots. At a 50-fold or higher magnification capillary bushes (glomerular vessels) with a diameter range of 50-146 lm were observed. The background colour was described as reddish or pinkish with white or yellowish scales. The most frequent dermoscopic (trichoscopic) feature of scalp psoriasis was the presence of red dots/ globules and twisted red loops. Typical dermoscopic (onychoscopic) signs of nail psoriasis were onycholysis, salmon patches and splinter haemorrhages. There is an accumulating body of evidence that dermoscopy (both handheld and videodermoscopy) is a useful tool in differential diagnosis in doubtful cases of psoriasis of the skin, scalp, nails, palms, soles and genital regions.

Dermatoscopy of tinea corporis

“…In psoriasis, the vessels are also dotted, but the pattern is strictly uniform. 5 Uniform dotted pattern was not observed in our TC cases. White scale with peripheral distribution seems like a strong indicator of TC, a fact that is in total accordance with the macroscopic clinical image of TC.…”

“…A total of 76 lesions from 76 individuals were included in the study. Of them, 36 were microscopically positive for TC and 40 were negative and finally diagnosed as psoriasis (20), dermatitis (10), pityriasis rosea (5) and lichen planus (5). The selection of the dermatoscopic variables used in the statistical analysis between the two groups (TC and non-TC) was based on available literature on dermatoscopy of other common inflammatory and infectious skin diseases.…”

“…D. Ioannides, 1 E. Lazaridou, 2 A. Lallas, 1 Z. Apalla, 3 E. Vakirlis, 1 R. Johr, 4 E. Errichetti, 5 A. Kyrgidis, 6 E. Sotiriou 1…”

“…3 In addition, it was reported that the IgE autoantibodies, not IgG autoantibodies, may cause pruritic erythema in a human skin-grafted mouse model of BP. 5 It was also suggested that IgE autoantibodies may be associated with the infiltration of eosinophils and mast cells, which may lead to accompanying pruritus, in the lesional skin of the patients with BP via their FceRI. 3 In the present case, it was suggested that IgE autoantibodies might also cause itchy erythema in the present case though the mechanism of eosinophilia and elevated serum IgE levels remains unknown.…”

Dermoscope-guided Laser Excision of a Pilomatricoma – a Novel Surgical Procedure Performed in Primary Care Settings

“…The advantages of dermoscopes in the early detection and diagnoses of skin cancers are well substantiated. Beyond tumours, dermoscopy has been reported to be applicable in the diagnoses of common inflammatory skin diseases [10,11], vascular diseases [12][13][14], and infectious diseases [15][16][17]. The realm of dermoscopy extends to diseases of the skin appendages [18,19] and mucosal surfaces such as the oral mucosa [20].…”