title: Frequency and clinical variants of specific dermatoses in third trimester of pregnancy: a study from a tertiary care centre.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the frequency of patients with dermatoses in the third trimester of pregnancy and to identify various clinical types of dermatoses in the third trimester.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was carried out at the Department of Dermatology and the Department of Gynaecology & Obstetrics, PNS Shifa Hospital, Karachi, from January 2 to July 1, 2008. Two hundred pregnant women in their third trimester were included in the study. The diagnosis was based on history, clinical examination and relevant investigations. Patients with physiological dermatoses and dermatoses which flare up during pregnancy were excluded. A comprehensive pro-forma was used to evaluate different dermatoses. Skin biopsy for histopathology was also done where necessary.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age of the study population ranged from 17 to 36 years (mean = 27.3 +/- 4.86). Five (2.5%) patients had prurigo of pregnancy, 4 (2%) had dermatoses associated with Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP), 3 (1.5%) patients had polymorphic eruption of pregnancy, and 1 (0.5%) patient had pruritic folliculitis of pregnancy. No case of pemphigoidgestationis was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the study, 6.5% patients presented with specific dermatoses. Prurigo of pregnancy was the commonest condition. Polymorphic eruption of pregnancy was more common in primigravida, while dermatoses with intrahepatic cholestasis was seen more often in multigravida.
authors: Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi.
authors: Sadra
authors: S
authors: Masood
authors: Dilawar Abbas
authors: DA
authors: Rizvi
authors: Saadia
authors: S
authors: Tabassum
authors: Shaheen
authors: S
authors: Akhtar
authors: Rehan Uddin
authors: RU
authors: Alvi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*