Demographic and clinical characteristics of pediatric psoriasis: A single-center retrospective study

Abstract

Background and Design: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease, with one-third of cases beginning in childhood. Pediatric presentations may differ from those in adults. This study evaluated the demographics, clinical features, and treatment of pediatric patients with psoriasis. Materials and Methods: This study included 89 psoriasis patients aged 0–18 years who were followed up at the dermatology clinics of Giresun Training and Research Hospital between January 2021 and February 2025. Demographics, clinical features, involvement sites, and treatments were extracted from electronic medical records and statistically analyzed. Results: Of the 89 patients, 52 were female (58.4%) and 37 were male (41.6%). The mean age at onset was 10.1±4.3 years, with a mean disease duration of 69.8±50.9 months. Plaque psoriasis was the most common (88.8%), followed by guttate psoriasis (15.7%) and palmoplantar psoriasis (8.9%). In 46% of cases, body surface area (BSA) involvement was <5%, and in 2.2%, it was >50%. The extremities (60.7%) and scalp (56.2%) were the most frequently affected sites. No gender-based differences were found in BSA, type, or site of involvement (p>0.05). Arthritis was present in 14.6% of the patients, and family history was present in 31.5% of the patients, with a significantly higher frequency in men (p=0.043). Cutaneous comorbidities were observed in 8.9% of patients. Topical treatments included steroid-calcipotriol (41.6%), steroids alone (37.1%), steroid-salicylic acid (29.2%), calcineurin inhibitors (16.8%), calcipotriol (6.7%), and tazarotene (1.1%). Systemic therapies included methotrexate (28.1%), acitretin (16.8%), and adalimumab (7.9%). Narrow band UVB phototherapy was used in 20.2% of patients. Conclusion: Our findings on age at onset, gender distribution, clinical subtypes, extent, and sites of involvement align with those of previous studies. A family history was present in approximately one-third of patients, although the reported rates varied widely, indicating genetic heterogeneity. The rate of concomitant arthritis was higher than expected based on previous reports. As pediatric psoriasis is less common than adult psoriasis, larger multicenter studies are needed to better understand its characteristics and its management.