Clinical features and the course of psoriasis in children

Psoriasis is a chronic multisystemic disease with predominant skin involvement. In the human population its prevalence reaches 3–5%. Psoriasis is one of the most frequent diseases among chronic dermatoses and reaches 12–15% [1–4]. Statistical data on psoriasis in Ukraine are significantly different from the average in Europe and the world, as the prevalence of the disease has steadily increased over the last decades – from 114.8 per 100 thousand people in 1994 to 222.5 per 100 thousand in 2014 including over 6,000 children [5, 6]. According to official statistics, the largest number of psoriasis patients is in the Carpathian region, so we consider our data to be representative of a much larger region than just the western part of Ukraine.
Psoriasis occurs at any age. There are two peaks of the onset of the disease at aged 20–30 and 50–60 years [7]. Psoriasis also occurs at a much younger age; its onset is observed in early childhood. According to literature data, psoriasis is the second most common disease after atopic dermatitis in children. The risk of this disease in boys and girls is the same. Psoriasis is more common in children over 10 years of age, but episodes also occur in early childhood [8–10]. This disease is an idiopathic one, but the role of the genetic component is certain. The implementation of genetic conditioning can be at any age. The main causes of psoriasis are stress, infections, immunological processes, diseases of the internal organs, nervous and endocrine system, traumas, medications, etc. Possible causes of psoriasis morbidity in children are psycho-emotional overload, social problems and household troubles, ecological pollution, and reduction of immune reactivity [9, 11, 12].
This study aimed at investigating the frequency, clinical features and the course of psoriasis in children under 6 years old.
For over 40 years, we have monitored the incidence and clinical course of psoriatic disease in infants. The study materials were case histories, outpatient cards, and counseling logs. The focus was on the onset of the disease, the causes, the family history, clinical manifestations, the effectiveness of therapy, and the duration of remission. The patients were examined: general blood test, analysis of feces for worm eggs, blood proteins, lipids, cholesterol, bilirubin, blood sugar, immunogram (test demonstrates the strength and activity of immune system [analysis of cellular and humoral immune activity, complement...


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