Study of Rare Hyperpigmented Lesions of the Skin in a Tertiary Care Centre in Western Maharashtra

Abstract

Objectives: Hyperpigmented lesions are a common presentation in the dermatology outpatient department and causes significant burden on the dermatologist. Though they are harmless and asymptomatic in most cases they are a cause for concern because it can lead to cosmetic deformity which can cause psychological upset in the patients. Rare lesions are often misdiagnosed clinically because of overlapping clinical features. The aim of this study was to diagnose rare hyperpigmented lesions with the help of skin biopsies and correlate he findings clinically. Methods: All skin biopsies coming to the department of Pathology were processed and stained by routine H&E stain. Special stains were applied whenever required (Ziehl-Nelson, periodic acid Schiff, Congo red). Results: 56 cases were studied of which 27 rare lesions were diagnosed. All the cases were subjected to analysis according to age, sex, site of lesion, duration of lesion and clinicopathological correlation. 75% of the cases showed histopathological correlation in our study. 25% of the cases did not show concordance. Conclusion: Hence to conclude histopathological examination of skin biopsies forms the gold standard for the diagnosis of hyperpigmented skin lesions more so in the case of rare lesions as most of them have overlapping clinical features which can be mistaken for common lesions.