[Incidence of fungal involvement in nail psoriasis].

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVE

Because it is clinically so similar, onychomycosis is one of the most important differential diagnostic considerations in psoriatic nail changes. We determined the frequency of fungal involvement in nails of psoriatic patients.

PATIENTS/

METHODS

Fungal colonization of the nails of psoriatic patients with and without clinically obvious nail changes was investigated in a collective of 250 patients compared to a group of 102 non-psoriatic persons.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in the frequency of nail colonization with dermatophytes and moulds between healthy persons and psoriatics. Yeasts were more commonly found in psoriatic nails.

CONCLUSIONS

Nail changes in psoriatic patients are mostly caused by psoriasis. However secondary colonization by yeasts is more common in psoriatic nails than in the general population. It remains to be clarified why dermatophytes are not more common in psoriatic nails.