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Diseases looking Similar to Psoriasis are encountered quite often.
Psoriasis may look similar to:
- Eczema;
- Vitiligo;
- Seborrheic Dermatitis;
- Pityriasis Rosea;
- Ringworm;
- Candidiasis;
- Onycholysis;
- Leukoplakia and many others.
Psoriatic Arthritis may resemble Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Eczema Similar to Psoriasis
Eczema is a chronic acute dermatitis, characterized by itching, scaling, and thickening of the skin. Eczema usually affects the face, elbows, knees, and arms. The lesions may become hot, oozing, blistery and inflamed.
Psoriasis and Eczema may sometimes look similar to each other.
The difference: with eczema there is a more expressed itching, which varies from weak to intensive, periodically there will appear phials, and the boundaries of the skin areas affected with eczema are blurry. The flow of eczema is less persistent than the flow of psoriasis.
Vitiligo Similar to Psoriasis
Vitiligo is a disorder, which is characterized by smooth milky-white patches of skin, caused by the loss of pigment-producing cells in the skin.
Psoriasis may sometimes look similar to Vitiligo. The secondary depigmented spots, which remain after the disappearance of the psoriatic plaques and lesions, may resemble Vitiligo.
The difference: The presence of fresh psoriatic lesions anywhere on the body or the scalp, as well as the psoriatic damage of the nails will help to make the correct diagnosis. Skin biopsy will also help to make the correct diagnosis between Vitiligo and Psoriasis.
Seborrheic Dermatitis Similar to Psoriasis
Seborrhea is a chronic dermatitis characterized by yellowish greasy scaly patches located usually on the seborrheic regions of the skin (the skin with the greatest number of oil glands): scalp, face, nasolabial folds (sides of the nose), eyebrows, eyelids, behind the ears, on the shoulder blades, on the middle of the chest and sometimes on other parts of the skin. The skin affected by Seborrheic dermatitis is usually itchy.
At the basis of Seborrhea there lies the disorder of the sebaceous glands (oil glands) functioning.
Psoriasis located on the scalp, face and other seborrheic regions of the skin may look similar to seborrheic dermatitis. Psoriatic scales may get soaked with skin fat, they get cemented together and retain on the surface of the plaques, simulating seborrheic dermatitis.
The difference: Scalp Psoriasis lesions have much more outlined boundaries. With seborrheic dermatitis there is a diffuse peeling without pronounced boundaries, and the itching is sufficiently more intensive. Unlike Seborrheic Dermatitis, Psoriasis itches less.
Pityriasis Rosea Similar to Psoriasis
Pityriasis Rosea is a skin disease characterized by large oval pink or red flaky patches mainly on the skin of the trunk.
Psoriasis and Pityriasis Rosea may sometimes look similar to each other.
The difference: unlike Pityriasis Rosea, psoriasis will reveal a point bleeding during the removal of the scales from the plaques. Skin biopsy will also help to make the correct diagnosis between Pityriasis Rosea and Psoriasis. The flow of Pityriasis Rosea is much less persistent than the flow of psoriasis.
Ringworm Similar to Psoriasis
Ringworm (aka Serpigo, "athlete's foot" and "jock itch") is a skin infection caused by parasitic fungi, which feed on keratin in the skin, hair, and nails. Ringworm is characterized by reddish or brownish raised patches on the skin, usually lighter in the center, which makes them look like a "ring".
Psoriasis and Ringworm may sometimes look similar to each other.
The difference: Fungal culture tests will show whether the fungi is present in the affected areas of the skin within 1-3 weeks.
Candidiasis Similar to Psoriasis
Candidiasis (aka yeast infection or thrush) is a fungal infection (mycosis). Infections of skin and mucous membranes by Candida causing local inflammation and discomfort are sufficiently common.
Candidiasis is usually characterized by redness, itching and discomfort. Candidiasis is usually a very localized infection of the skin or mucous membranes (including the oral cavity) or the genitalia (vagina, penis).
Psoriasis of the Mucous Membranes or Genital Psoriasis may sometimes look similar to Candidiasis.
Steroid hormones and immunosuppressants used for psoriasis treatment may also predispose a person to development of Candidiasis.
The difference: a sterile swab rubbed on the infected area will undergo a microscopic examination or/and culturing, which will reveal the presence or the absence of the yeast cells and/or colonies within a few days.
Onycholysis Similar to Psoriasis
Onycholysis is a dystrophy of the nails, with which there is a disrupted connection of nails with the soft tissues of the nail bed.
With Psoriasis fairly often there is also developed the dystrophy of the nails. Psoriatic damage of the nails may not be accompanied by the lesions on the skin. The nail plate becomes thickened, dim, uneven, and with a brown-gray color. On the nails there are sometimes point depressions which look like the surface of a thimble.
The difference: psoriasis on other sights of the body (i.e. the skin), and the family history of psoriasis will help to make the correct Psoriasis diagnosis.
Leukoplakia Similar to Psoriasis
Leukoplakia is white spots or plaques that appear on the mucous membranes in the mouth such as the cheeks, the gums, the tongue etc. Leukoplakia is a precancerous lesion that may appear as a result of irritating the mucous membranes with smoking or chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol etc.
The difference: Psoriasis of the mucous membranes differs from Leukoplakia with the alternation of the remissions and relapses, as well as with the detection of the point bleeding with a light scraping of the psoriatic lesions on the mucous membranes.
Psoriatic lesions located also on the skin will help in making the correct Psoriasis Diagnosis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Similar to Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic Arthritis damages the small joints of the hands and feet. The damage of the joints may or may not be combined with the skin damage.
Rheumatoid Arthritis can be separated into Rheumatoid Monoarthritis (affects 1 joint), Rheumatoid Oligoarthritis (affects 2-4 joints), and Rheumatoid Polyarthritis (affects 5 and more joints).
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis sometimes have identical manifestations, and therefore Psoriatic Arthritis with the absence of the psoriatic plaques on the skin may be mistaken with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
The difference: The appearance of psoriatic plaques anywhere else (i.e. the skin, the nails, the mucous membranes) helps to make the correct diagnosis. Family history of psoriasis and/or Psoriasis Arthritis will also help to make the correct diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis similar to Rheumatoid Arthritis.
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