HAS PSORIASIS ITS OWN CHARACTERISTIC TRICHOGRAM

The aim of this study was to determine if there were characteristic tr ichogram changes in scalp psoriasis in patients without clinically evi dent effluvium or alopecia. A total of 45 patients (17 men and 28 wome n, aged from 15 to 73 years) with clinically and histologically confir med psoriasis vulgaris with scalp involvement were included. The contr ol group consisted of 60 volunteers (23 males and 37 females aged from 15 to 74 years) with no scalp involvement. Our results from the psori atic group showed highly increased proportions of dysplastic hair root s. Median proportion was 50% with 95% confidence interval (CI) for med ian 30-60%, whereas telogen hair ratio was slightly increased-median p roportion was 16% with 95% CI for median 15-20%. Within the psoriasis patients' group no statistically significant correlations were found b etween the proportion of dysplastic hairs and the patients' age, sex, and the intensity and duration of disease. According to the results of this study, the dysplastic hairs in scalp psoriasis are statistically significant much more frequently compared with the control group. Thu s, the increased proportion of dysplastic hairs in scalp psoriasis wit hout effluvium or alopecia might be its characteristic trichogram sign . (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.