Current issue-Abstract 6

Introduction: Psoriasis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases, affecting about 3.5% of the population. Despite psoriasis carries a high risk of morbidity, few epidemiological studies provide estimates on the prevalence of psoriasis in children.

Aim: The objective of this study is to report the frequency of children and adolescents diagnosed with psoriasis at Instituto Dermatologico y Cirugía de Piel “Dr. Huberto Bogaert Díaz” (IDCP-DHBD) between March 2007 and March 2012.

Material and Methods: Examination were done on 76 children and adolescents with psoriasis confirmed by histopathological examinations at the IDCP DHBD in the Dominican Republic between March 2007 and March 2012. The data was retrospectively reviewed to assess age, gender, clinical localization, treatment modalities and delay in diagnosis.

Results: The frequency of children and adolescents with psoriasis among dermatological patients was 0.96 cases for every 10,000 patients seen in the Institute. There were 43 (56.6%) girls and 37 (43.4%) boys. The mean age of onset was 14 years. Children from 0-2 years, were the least affected with 3% of the cases. The most frequent site of onset were the trunk (28.8%) and the scalp (27.4%). 67% of the patients had 2 or more sites involved. The mean delay in diagnosis was 6 months. Topical therapy was the treatment of choice in all the patients except one.

Conclusions: Even though psoriasis may cause a profound impact on the quality of life of children and adolescents the epidemiological data in the countries of Central America and the Caribbean is scarce.