Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37448397›Full record

ArticleCureus2023

Usage of Dermoscopy as an Effective Diagnostic Tool in Pityriasis Alba: A Prospective Observational Study Among Children in a Suburban Hospital in South India.

Irene N Thomas, Joseph Jenson James, Arishta Bala, Saranya Mohan, Sowmya Dogiparthi, Nithya Priyadharshini Shanmugam

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Irene N ThomasDermatology, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research Institute, Shri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Chennai, IND.
Joseph Jenson JamesDermatology, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research Institute, Shri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Chennai, IND.
Arishta BalaDermatology, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Shri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Chennai, IND.
Saranya MohanDermatology, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research Institute, Shri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Chennai, IND.
Sowmya DogiparthiDermatology, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research Institute, Shri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Chennai, IND.
Nithya Priyadharshini ShanmugamDermatology, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research Institute, Shri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Chennai, IND.
Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute · IN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHypopigmented patches in patients with skin of color are usually a cause of concern. Pityriasis alba is a common skin condition that causes visible patches of hypopigmentation in children and adolescents. In addition to the cosmetic impairment, parents are concerned about the diagnosis of vitiligo and leprosy which also cause hypopigmented patches and have negative social implications. Dermoscopy is a useful diagnostic aid that is acquiring prominence in diagnosing a variety of skin diseases. Few studies exist that validate the use of dermoscopy as an effective tool in the diagnosis of Pityriasis alba.

objectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of dermoscopy by correlating the clinical features of Pityriasis alba with dermoscopic images.

methodsHypopigmented patches in 16 patients that were clinically diagnosed as Pityriasis alba were examined with a DermLite DL200 Hybrid dermoscope (Dermlite, CA, USA). All the dermoscopic images were photographically recorded and the findings were noted and correlated with the clinical stages of the disease.

resultsOut of the 40 patches examined in 16 patients, dermoscopic images of white structureless spots, scaling, indistinct borders and normally pigmented hairs were consistently present in all the patches to propose these as the four dermoscopic criteria for the diagnosis of Pityriasis alba. Areas of light brown pigmentation, 17 (42.5%), erythema, 3 (7.5%), and faint pigmented network,11 (27.5%) were the other features noted in some of the patches.

conclusionIn an ethnic South Indian population where the skin color is predominantly brown, hypopigmented patches are visibly obvious and concerning. Pityriasis alba, Pityriasis versicolor, Vitiligo, Nevus depigmentosus, and Leprosy are the five common conditions seen among children of which Pityriasis alba is the most prevalent. Offering the right diagnosis is essential for the correct management as well as excluding more serious conditions such as leprosy and vitiligo. In this study, Dermoscopy provided a valuable diagnostic aid in achieving this objective.

Indexed as

dermoscopyhypopigmentationpatchespityriasis albascaling

Identifiers

PMID37448397
PMCPMC10336270
OpenAlexW4380264537

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.