Clinicoepidemiological study of childhood psoriasis in a tertiary care center

Abstract

Context: Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated disease. Although common in children, true incidence and prevalence are not exactly known. There is a paucity of data on childhood psoriasis in India. Aims and Objectives: To study the age and gender distribution, mean age of onset, family history, precipitating factors, seasonal variation, clinical pattern, and nail changes in childhood psoriasis. Study Design: This was a prospective, observational study. Materials and Methods: All children with psoriasis under the age of 18 years were enrolled in the study, and detailed evaluation was done. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS 20 (IBM SPSS statistics for Windows, version 20.0: IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) and SIGMA STAT 3.5 (Sigma stat 3.5, Systat Software Inc., Richmond, CA.) by applying one-way ANOVA and Chi-square test. Observations and Results: Childhood psoriasis comprised 17.8% of total psoriatic patients. Male to female ratio was 1:1.4. Girls had higher mean age and delayed age of onset (P 0.028). Nearly one-third had positive family history of psoriasis. Trauma was the most common precipitating factor. Anti-streptolysin-O titer was positive in 10.18% of cases, out of which 72.72% belonged to guttate psoriasis. The most common clinical type was plaque psoriasis. Extremities were the most frequently involved site and also the most common site of onset. Pitting was the most common nail change. Conclusion: In our study, a considerable proportion of the psoriatic patients were children (17.8%). Infection was one of the common triggering factors in children; hence, early control of infection may help in reducing the severity and frequency of the disease. Further follow-up of these children is needed to know the outcome and prognosis of the disease.