Frequency and Clinicohistopathological Concordance of Psoriasis and Psoriasiform Dermatitis: A Tertiary Care Study

Objectives The present study was conducted to determine the frequency of psoriasis and psoriasiform dermatitis among patients attending the Dermatology Outpatient Department (OPD) of a tertiary care hospital. The study also aimed to assess the concordance between the clinical and histopathological diagnoses of these lesions, and to characterize the key epidermal and dermal histopathological features of confirmed cases of psoriasis.  Materials and methods This study was conducted over a period of one year and included all patients attending the Dermatology OPD with a clinical diagnosis of psoriasis or psoriasiform dermatitis who were subsequently advised to undergo a skin biopsy for histopathological examination in the Department of Pathology. Cases were enrolled after applying the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results A total of 45 patients were enrolled in the study. Histopathological analysis revealed that psoriasis was the most common diagnosis, accounting for 77.8% (n=35) of cases. Dermatitis was identified in 6.7% (n=3) and hypertrophic lichen planus in 6.6% (n=3) of cases. Psoriasis also demonstrated the highest clinicohistopathological concordance, with 86.8% (n=33) of clinically diagnosed cases being confirmed on histopathological examination. Conclusion This study highlights the diverse histopathological spectrum and frequency of psoriasis and psoriasiform lesions. Furthermore, it concludes that the clinical diagnosis shows good concordance with the histopathological diagnosis in the majority of cases.