Pityriasis Amiantacea:Its Clinical Aspects, Causes and Associations; a Cross Sectional Study

This cross sectional study was done in Al- Kindy Teaching Hospital in Iraq in the period between October 2010 and October 2012. Theaim of this study was to shade light on pityriasisamiantacea regarding its clinical aspects, causes and associations. Seventy six patients with pityriasisamiantacea were enrolled in this study including 26(34.21%) male and 50(65.78%) females. Their ages ranged between 3 months to 68 years and the median was 13 years. Full history and detailed clinical examination was done for each patient. Swab for culture and skin scrapping as well as hair plucking for mycological examination to detect any bacterial and fungal infections was done to all patients.Skin biopsy and histopathological examination were done for only ten cases . The most age group affected was between (10-19) years that represents (36.8%). Pityriasisamiantacea was more common in females patients (65.8%).The disease was generalized in 48(63.15%)patients, localized in 24(31.57%) patients while the diffuse involvement of the scalp was in 4(5.26%) patients. The results revealed that pityriasisamiantacea in 45(59.2%) patients was caused by psoriasis,seborrheicdermatitis , atopic dermatitis and tineacapitis respectively.Twenty three patients (30.26%) were found to have a secondary bacterial infection and the highest figure of secondary bacterial infection in patients with pityriasisamiantacea were found in atopic dermatitis patients (66.67%).