Clinical and Trichoscopic Patterns of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus of Scalp in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: An Observational Study.

Background: Discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) is a specific cutaneous manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which results in scarring alopecia of the scalp.

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional observational study on scarring alopecia among SLE patients was done between September 2016 and August 2017. The clinical and trichoscopic patterns of scalp DLE among these patients were studied. The DLE lesions were categorised into active and inactive based on clinical features. Trichoscopy was done and photographs were obtained using a non-polarised videodermoscope.

Results: There were 26 patients with scalp DLE, out of which 15 patients (57.69%) had active DLE and 11 (42.30%) had inactive DLE. The trichoscopic findings seen were structureless white areas, loss of follicular units, blue-grey dots and globules, follicular keratotic plugs and telangiectasia. The trichoscopic features seen in active versus inactive DLE were blue-grey dots and globules (93.33% vs 63.63%), structureless white areas (93.33% vs 90.90%), loss of follicular units (86.66% vs 72.72%) and follicular keratotic plugs (80% vs 45.45%), yellow dots with arborising vessels (33.33% vs 72.72%), exaggerated honeycomb pigmentation (46% vs 63.63%) and telangiectasia (66.67% vs 54.54%). Scaling ( = 0.033) and blue-grey dots ( = 0.021) were significantly higher in active and yellow dots with arborising vessels ( = 0.047) in inactive DLE.

Conclusions: On comparing trichoscopic features between active and inactive DLE scaling and blue-grey dots were significantly higher in active and yellow dots with arborising vessels in inactive DLE.