Keeping score: novel method might help differentiate 2 serious skin diseases

Close-up of skin symptoms   
A scoring system has been developed to help distinguish between the two diseases. Left: generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP). Right: acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP).   
Image Credit: Osaka Metropolitan Universit

Two rare skin conditions with similar symptoms can be mistaken for each other, so a scoring system has been formulated to aid physicians in distinguishing two diseases

Your skin becomes red and spots filled with pus appear, so you visit a dermatologist. When these symptoms spread to the skin throughout the body, it is difficult for the physician to distinguish whether it is generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) or acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP), as both have similar symptoms. The two diseases run different courses and require different treatments. Without proper treatment, the symptoms can worsen severely and cause complications, so it is essential to distinguish between them.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University and the Mayo Clinic in the United States have developed a scoring system as a novel tool to distinguish between the two diseases. Led by Dr. Mika Yamanaka-Takaichi and Professor Daisuke Tsuruta, both from the Department of Dermatology at OMU’s Graduate School of Medicine, and Professor Afsaneh Alavi from the Department of Dermatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, the team studied data on clinical symptoms and laboratory findings of the diseases to create the system.

The study looked at 54 patients with GPP and 63 patients with AGEP who had sought treatment over a two-decade span at OMU or the Mayo Clinic medical group.

 “The results of this research might help medical professionals distinguish between GPP and AGEP, which have been difficult to differentiate in clinical practice. We hope the scoring system we suggest can lead to quicker diagnosis and the choosing of appropriate treatment,” Dr. Yamanaka-Takaichi said. “In the future, we aim to establish a diagnostic index that clinicians can use practically to differentiate between the two diseases.”

Published in journal: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Title: Differentiating generalized pustular psoriasis from acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis

Authors: Mika Yamanaka-Takaichi, Miki Watanabe, Nneka I. Comfere, Olayemi Sokumbi, Christeebella O. Akpala, Austin Todd, Emily L. Branch, Aaron R. Mangold, Sho Hiroyasu, Daisuke Tsuruta, and Afsaneh Alavi

Source/Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University

Reference Number: med031824_01

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