A Study of Nailfold Capillaroscopy in Different Morphological Variants of Psoriasis in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Abstract Background: Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease. Nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) is a method to analyze nail changes in autoimmune disorders and is gaining popularity as a bedside tool for studying the capillaroscopic changes of psoriasis. Aim: The aim was to assess the nail fold capillaroscopic parameters in controls versus psoriasis patients and to assess the nail fold capillaroscopic parameters in various morphological types of psoriasis patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study of NFC was conducted on 100 patients and 100 controls who attended the outpatient department of dermatology of a tertiary care hospital in Central India from June 2022 to October 2022. Nail fold of little fingers of both hands was studied by the Universal Serial Bus (USB) Digital Microscope and photographed. Results: This study was conducted on 100 patients of psoriasis and 100 controls. The mean age of patients was 50.77 ± 11.33 years with a male-to-female ratio of 1.27. The most common type of psoriasis was chronic plaque psoriasis, and erythrodermic psoriasis was the least common. Majority of 51 patients were having a Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score of >3–15 suggestive of moderate psoriasis. Capillary morphology in 89% of psoriasis cases was inverse U-shape, while remaining 11% had bizarre morphology. There was a significant difference (P < 0.011) in capillary density between psoriasis patients and controls. Only 6% of patients had irregular and haphazard capillary distribution, compared to 94% of patients who had regular and parallel capillary distribution. Other parameters of NFC such as subpapillary plexus, ramified/bushy capillaries, and hemorrhage were also studied. Conclusion: Psoriasis is characterized by microvascular abnormalities which can be studied by a novel technique of nailfold capillaroscopy.