Pediatric psoriasis: A descriptive, retrospective and multicenter study in Colombia

Abstract

Introduction: Pediatric psoriasis has a prevalence ranging from 0.5 to 4.1%. It is more common in females, and the predominant type is the vulgar or plaque. It has been associated with comorbidities such as obesity and metabolic syndrome or even with a family history of psoriasis.

Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of pediatric patients diagnosed with psoriasis attending pediatric dermatology consultations with dermatologists who are members of the Asociación Colombiana de Dermatología from January 2017 to June 2022.

Material and methods: We conducted a descriptive, retrospective, and multicenter study. We describe the prevalence, clinical characteristics, diagnostic methods, personal and family history, and treatments for patients with pediatric psoriasis. Stata 13™ software was used for data analysis.

Results: From 26,870 patients, 146 were diagnosed with psoriasis (0.54%), with a femaleto-male ratio of 1.5:1 and a median age of onset of eight years. The most common variant was vulgar psoriasis (72.6%), followed by guttate psoriasis (6.85%), and the scalp was the most frequently affected location (55.48%). The most common comorbidities were obesity and Crohn’s disease (5.5% each). Family history included 39 cases of psoriasis, 16 diabetes mellitus, and 7 dyslipidemia. Seventy-eight percent of the cases were classified as mild according to the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI); 65% received topical treatment, and 18% received systemic treatment. Sixty-five percent received topical treatment, while systemic treatment and phototherapy was used in 19% and 2.7%, respectively. When using combined treatment (6%) received topical and systemic modalities, 1.3% used topical with phototherapy, and 0.68% received all treatments.

Conclusion: In the evaluated population, the most frequent variant of pediatric psoriasis was the vulgar type with mild severity. Most patients with this clinical presentation received opical treatment. The association with other systemic diseases implies the need for further studies.