Medknow Publications on behalf of The Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL)
Abstract
Psoriasiform reaction pattern is a commonly encountered denominator in
a wide variety of unrelated disorders. It may be a reaction to either
the internal or the external environmental, allergic, infective,
parasitic, bacterial, fungal, viral and/or malignant stimuli. The
degree of evolution of such a pattern and its significance vary
according to the dermatosis. The age of the skin lesions may also
influence the histopathological presentation and its
clinico-histopathological disparity can often bewilder an expert.
However, such a situation warrants more astute and sustained
observations to unveil the exact underlying condition(s). Thus,
psoriasiform dermatoses should only be an initial caption until an
exact dermatological disorder is defined. There has been greater number
of instances of psoriasiform drug eruptions where a confirmation of the
diagnosis can be achieved after their remission by doing a provocation
test. Similarly, such instances have also been on the rise in
HIV/AIDS-affected individuals all over the world. Besides mycosis
fungoides and Hodgkin′s disease, several unrelated malignancies
have been preceded or accompanied by psoriasiform skin eruptions