Psoriasiform dermatoses

Psoriasiform reaction pattern is a commonly encountered denominator in a wide variety of unrelated disorders. It may be a reaction to either the internal or the external environmental, allergic, infective, parasitic, bacterial, fungal, viral and/or malignant stimuli. The degree of evolution of such a pattern and its significance vary according to the dermatosis. The age of the skin lesions may also influence the histopathological presentation and its clinico-histopathological disparity can often bewilder an expert. However, such a situation warrants more astute and sustained observations to unveil the exact underlying condition(s). Thus, psoriasiform dermatoses should only be an initial caption until an exact dermatological disorder is defined. There has been greater number of instances of psoriasiform drug eruptions where a confirmation of the diagnosis can be achieved after their remission by doing a provocation test. Similarly, such instances have also been on the rise in HIV/AIDS-affected individuals all over the world. Besides mycosis fungoides and Hodgkin's disease, several unrelated malignancies have been preceded or accompanied by psoriasiform skin eruptions.