Clinicohistological and immunopathological features of patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus at tertiary dermatology centre in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is a chronic, autoimmune skin disease with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations in different populations. AIM: To study the clinicohistological and immunological features of CLE in a multiethnic population and to identify the predictive factors of disease severity based on the Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of CLE conducted from March 2019 to February 2020. RESULTS: In total, 111 patients were recruited with a female/male ratio of 4.9 : 1. Acute CLE contributed 47.7%, followed by chronic CLE at 46.9% and subacute CLE at 5.4%. A large majority (84%) of patients had systemic lupus erythematosus. Of patients with chronic CLE, about 67.3% developed systemic involvement. Antinuclear antibody (ANA) was detected in 90.0%. Skin biopsy was taken from 42 patients and showed perivascular lymphocytic infiltration (95.2%), epidermal atrophy (47.6%) and hydropic degeneration of the basal layer (47.6%). Immunoglobulin deposition at the dermoepidermal junction was seen in > 40% of patients, predominantly in a granular pattern. Mean CLASI Total was 6.44 ± 7.70, while CLASI Activity (CLASI-A) was 2.75 ± 4.10 and CLASI Damage (CLASI-D) was 3.71 ± 4.76. Involved body surface area (BSA) was found to be an independent predictive factor for CLASI-A (OR = 1.34, P < 0.02). For CLASI-D, positive predictive factors were involved BSA (OR = 4.14, P < 0.001), discoid lupus erythematosus subtype (OR = 13.10, P = 0.001), cutaneous vascular disease (OR = 26.59; P = 0.014), scalp involvement (OR = 8.7, P < 0.01) and hypocomplementaemia (OR = 5.71, P < 0.5). Mean Dermatology Life Quality Index was 5.91 ± 5.34 and correlated significantly with disease severity. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a high percentage of patients with CLE with systemic manifestations and positive ANA result. More aggressive treatment of patients with positive predictive factors for severe disease combined with significant clinical activity may be warranted.

Effectiveness of color and picture labeling in improving the knowledge on topical medications among patients with psoriasis: A randomized controlled trial.

AIM AND OBJECTIVE: The success of topical treatment in patients with psoriasis is still below par in Malaysia. The contributing factors include patients' understanding and knowledge about prescribed topical medications. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of color and picture labeling (C and P labeling) in improving the knowledge about topical medications among patients with psoriasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An unblinded randomized controlled trial was undertaken at the dermatology clinic of a tertiary care hospital. Consent from the patients fulfilling inclusion criteria were obtained, and they were included in this study. They were randomized into two groups, namely Gp-1 (C and P labeling) and Gp-2 (conventional labeling). Both groups were assessed at week 0, 6, and 12 (visit 1, 2, and 3) using knowledge assessment list and psoriasis severity assessment score. For visit 2 (week 6), reinforcement of their understanding of topical treatment was performed. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients were recruited. Only 91 of them completed the study. The mean ages were 44.52 (±16.61) and 45.49 (±15.84) years, with 70.3% males and approximately half Malay ethnics. The changes of knowledge and comparison of Topical Application Assessment Score between the groups showed an incremental raise of significance with every visit (P = 0.006 [week 1], 0.004 [week 6], and 0.002 [week 12]). Psoriasis Area and Severity Index 75 could not draw any conclusion as patients who achieved >75% improvement were inadequate. CONCLUSION: C and P labeling was effective in improving the understanding and knowledge of patients with psoriasis. Both groups showed improvement in body surface area and Dermatology Life Quality Index for every visit; however, it was statistically insignificant.