[Characteristics of the Koebner phenomenon in patients with psoriasis vulgaris]

Koebner phenomenon in psoriasis presents development of psoriatic lesions, after injury of uninvolved skin, which are identical in morphology with the previous trauma. The aim of this study was to establish the correlation of Koebner phenomenon with sex and age distribution, clinical variants of psoriasis vulgaris, age of onset and incidence in psoriasis among relatives of affected patients.

Sixty patients, with severe clinical picture, participated in this study: 38 patients in acute flare of a chronic form; 10 with acute exanthematic form; 8 with a chronic stable form; 3 with psoriatic changes on palms and soles and one patient with psoriatic erythroderma. According to the presence of Koebner phenomenon they were divided in two groups, one with positive and the other with negative Koebner phenomenon which presented the control group at the same time.

The Koebner reaction is often thought to be more frequent in actively spreading, severe psoriasis. Although this may be true, it has to be established by prospective studies. According to our investigation, Koebner phenomenon did not depend on clinical picture of psoriasis vulgaris. This reaction also appears to be a marker for a subgroup of patients with a tendency to early onset, but that was not confirmed by our study. In available literature we did not find any data about relations of Koebner phenomenon to sex and age or familiar incidence of psoriasis vulgaris. Our results demonstrated no connection of Koebner phenomenon with sex and age structure. At the same time its presence did not depend on familiar incidence of psoriasis vulgaris.

There is no relationship between Koebner phenomenon and sex and age distribution. It does not depend on clinical picture and also does not predict the age of onset and familiar incidence of psoriasis vulgaris.