The dermatoscopic spectrum of cutaneous lupus erythematosus: A retrospective analysis by clinical subtype with clinicopathological correlation

Abstract

The skin is the most common organ of involvement during the course of lupus erythematosus (LE). The literature data concerning the dermatoscopic patterns of the different clinical variants of cutaneous LE (CLE), namely chronic (CCLE), subacute (SCLE), and acute (ACLE), are scarce. To determine the dermatoscopic spectrum of CLE and to correlate the dermatoscopic features with the histological findings. This was a retrospective, observational, multicenter, cohort study. We evaluated the dermatoscopic features in a cohort of patients diagnosed with CLE. Furthermore, we investigated their frequency per clinical subtype and correlated them with the anatomic alterations. We included 79 patients. The most prevalent dermatoscopic features of CCLE included follicular plugs (86.4%, P < .01), patchy distribution (75%, P = .1) of mostly linear curved vessels (56.8%, P = .8), white scales (68.2%, P < .01), and structureless white color (68.2%, P < .01). The most common criteria of SCLE were patchy distribution (90%, P = .1) of mostly linear curved vessels (53.3%, P = .8) and fine white scales (60%, P < .01), while ACLE was characterized by erythema (100%, P < .05) and patchy distribution (100%, P = .1) of mostly dotted vessels (60%, P = .4). Follicular plugs/rosettes in dermatoscopy strongly correlated with follicular plugs in histology (rho = 0.919). Hyperkeratosis significantly correlated with white (rho = 0.644) and yellow/brown scales (rho = 0.225), telangiectasia with linear curved vessels (rho = 0.321) and white color with dermal fibrosis (rho = 0.623). Depending on CLE subtype, distinct dermatoscopic patterns are recognized. In CLE there is a high correlation between certain dermatoscopic criteria and the underneath anatomic alteration.