Presentations of Cutaneous Disease in Various Skin Pigmentations: Plaque Psoriasis

Authors

Ashleigh E. Hermann, Medical City Fort WorthFollow
Daniel A. Nguyen, Medical City Fort WorthFollow
Christopher M. Wong, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort WorthFollow
Christian J. Scheufele, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort WorthFollow
Michael Carletti, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort WorthFollow
Stephen E. Weis, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort WorthFollow

Keywords

dermatology; psoriasis; psoriasis/diagnosis; psoriasis/ethnology; plaque psoriasis; skin pigmentation; skin of color; papulosquamous skin diseases; Fitzpatrick skin types

Disciplines

Dermatology

Abstract

Recent studies estimate that more than 8 million Americans have psoriasis. The prevalence of psoriasis in African Americans is 1.5% compared to 3.6% of Caucasians. Psoriasis is likely to be underdiagnosed among African Americans and other individuals with darker pigmented skin due to variations in clinical presentation in addition to disease distribution and severity. We present images of psoriasis vulgaris in a variety of Fitzpatrick skin types. Differences in the biology of skin pigmentation may explain the clinical masking of erythema in darker-skinned individuals. Recognition of this important difference will help clinicians utilize additional clues to identify and diagnose this entity correctly.

Recommended Citation

Hermann, Ashleigh E.; Nguyen, Daniel A.; Wong, Christopher M.; Scheufele, Christian J.; Carletti, Michael; and Weis, Stephen E. (2022) "Presentations of Cutaneous Disease in Various Skin Pigmentations: Plaque Psoriasis," HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine: Vol. 3: Iss. 3, Article 11.
DOI: 10.36518/2689-0216.1429
Available at: https://scholarlycommons.hcahealthcare.com/hcahealthcarejournal/vol3/iss3/11