Pregnancy Specific Dermatoses and Skin Disease

Pregnancy-associated skin diseases or changes can be described as physiological (hormonal), pre-existing skin disease, and the development of dermatoses with a new pregnancy. The specific skin dermatoses related to pregnancy include pruritic skin eruption in a poorly defined heterogeneous group. A study by Naz S et al. evaluated the specific dermatoses and skin diseases affected by pregnancy.

Their study included 226 pregnant women who were investigated for pregnancy-associated cutaneous changes. Their study also investigated the presence of any concomitant dermatoses that developed during pregnancy. It also performed Detailed clinical examinations on pregnant women with specific dermatoses of pregnancy regarding the pattern, distribution, and morphology of lesions, along with routine blood investigation.

The study found the incidence of specific dermatosis in 11.95% and Prurigo during pregnancy to be prevalent in 5.8% of cases. It also observed the incidence of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPP), and pruritic folliculitis of pregnancy (PFP) in 2.7%, 2.2%, and 1.3% respectively. All these skin diseases occurred by pregnancy in 11.95% of females.

This study shows that Prurigo of pregnancy is the prevalent dermatosis of pregnancy that occurs in the multigravida second trimester, while intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy represents a rare dermatosis with no primary lesion. Furthermore, the course of pregnancy-associated disease changes causes exacerbation like psoriasis, vitiligo, and dermatosis.

Naz S, et al. A Study of Specific Dermatoses and Skin Disease Affected by Pregnancy. Pakistan Journal of Medical & Health Sciences. 2022;16(3). https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs221631157