Clinicoepidemiologic characteristics and prevalence of venous insufficiency in patients with pigmented purpuric dermatosis

Abstract

Objectives: To describe clinic-epidemiological characteristics of pigmented purpuric dermatosis (PPD) and to assess the potential relationship between venous insufficiency and PPD. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients diagnosed with PPD at University of Health Sciences Türkiye, İstanbul Training and Research Hospital dermatology clinics between January 2010 and September 2022. Clinical, demographic, and radiological characteristics were examined. Results: The study included a total of 195 PPD patients, of whom 111 were female (57%). The mean age of the patients was 44.25±19.99 years, and the average disease duration was 15.4±24.1 months. The most common subtype of the disease was Schamberg’s disease (66%), followed by Majocchi’s disease (16%), lichen aureus (8%), pigmented purpuric lichenoid dermatitis of Gougerot-Blum (7%), and eczematid-like purpura of Doucas and Kapetanakis (2%). Almost all patients (99%) had lesions on their lower extremities, while only 26 (13%) had lesions on the upper body. Lesion distribution was bilateral in 167 (87%) of the cases. Venous Doppler ultrasonography was performed in 101 patients, with venous insufficiency detected in 24 (23.8%) of them. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of age, gender, and disease duration between patients with and without venous insufficiency. There was no correlation between the laterality of venous insufficiency and the laterality of lesion distribution.