Comparative Study On Prevalence Of Onychomycosis In Psoriatic And Non Psoriatic Patients Attending Skin OPD In Tertiary Care Hospital, Chennai Tamil Nadu, India

Onychomycosis, the common important infection caused by fungal pathogens. This infection was occur in the 50% of nail abnormalities. Psoriasis patients were found with these nail abnormalities including chronic inflammation and hyper proliferative skin conditions finally turns onychomycosis. To study the prevalence of fungal infection of nail in Psoriatic and Non-Psoriatic patients who attending the dermatology outpatient department in a tertiary care hospital, Chennai. This present study was conduct by the department of microbiology in the outpatient unit of dermatology during the month of January to June 2015. 50 Psoriatic and 50 non-Psoriatic patients were investigated for the study. Scrapings of both toenails and fingernails (which are clinically abnormal) were examined under microscopy and culture was done for all the collected samples. A prevalence of onychomycosis among patients with psoriasis (48%) and without psoriasis (26%) was found, the non-psoriatic patients attending the skin OPD regularly for skin problems. The prevalence of fungal infection of nails is higher in male and in elderly patients of both psoriatic and non-psoriatic patients. Higher percentage of dermatophytic moulds was found in patients with psoriasis. There is an increased prevalence of onychomycosis in male patients with psoriasis.