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Related Experiment Videos

Auspitz sign is not sensitive or specific for psoriasis.

J D Bernhard1

  • 1Division of Dermatology, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester 01655.

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
|June 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

The Auspitz sign is not a reliable indicator for diagnosing psoriasis, as it frequently appears in other scaling skin conditions and is often absent in psoriasis patients.

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Area of Science:

  • Dermatology
  • Clinical diagnostics

Background:

  • The Auspitz sign, characterized by pinpoint bleeding after scale removal, is traditionally associated with psoriasis.
  • Its diagnostic utility in differentiating psoriasis from other scaling dermatoses requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the Auspitz sign in psoriasis.
  • To assess the prevalence of the Auspitz sign in various scaling skin disorders.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study involving 234 patients diagnosed with psoriasis.
  • Assessment of the Auspitz sign by attempting successive scale removal from psoriatic lesions.
  • Examination of the Auspitz sign in non-psoriatic scaling disorders, including Darier's disease and actinic keratoses.

Main Results:

  • The Auspitz sign was observed in only 41 out of 234 (17.5%) patients with psoriasis, indicating low sensitivity.
  • Pinpoint bleeding, characteristic of the Auspitz sign, was also elicited in several non-psoriatic scaling conditions.
  • These findings suggest the Auspitz sign lacks specificity for psoriasis.

Conclusions:

  • The Auspitz sign is neither sensitive nor specific enough for the definitive diagnosis of psoriasis.
  • Clinical assessment should not solely rely on the presence or absence of the Auspitz sign for diagnosing psoriasis.
  • Further research into more reliable diagnostic markers for psoriasis is warranted.

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