[Psoriasis in childhood and adolescence].
Psoriasis is a chronic, immunologically mediated, recurrent and universal inflammatory disorder. Approximately one third of adults refer onset before 16 years of age. The sooner the onset, the worse is the prognosis. In children, lesions may be physically disfiguring, leading to psychological impairment and evident loss of quality of life. Systemic therapy used in psoriasis, as well as phototherapy, has limited use in children due to accumulative effects of drugs, low acceptance, and risk of teratogenicity. In this section, we discuss the main clinical aspects of psoriasis in childhood and adolescence, differential diagnosis, therapeutic options, and prognosis.
Department of Dermatology, Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. rromiti@hotmail.com
Ricardo
R
Romiti
Luciana
L
Maragno
Marcelo
M
Arnone
Maria Denise Fonseca
MD
Takahashi
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy