SAEM Clinical Image Series: Silver Scales
A 6-year-old otherwise healthy female presented to the emergency department (ED) with a rash across all four extremities. She has had seven months of pruritic, expanding lesions starting on her shins, now beginning to expand on her forearms. No history of allergies or irritant exposure. Due to Covid-19, she has been unable to see a provider before today’s ED visit.
Vitals: T 98.3°F; BP 96/72; HR 92; RR 24; O2 sat 100%
Skin: Numerous patchy red lesions scattered across bilateral upper and lower extremities with silver plaque accumulation. No nailbed involvement. No mucous membrane involvement.
Non-contributory
Psoriasis vulgaris, plaque subtype, is a common dermatologic condition often seen in the outpatient setting. Plaques are most commonly noted on the knees, elbows, and lower back. The silvery plaques in characteristic locations are a hallmark of this diagnosis but are rarely seen to this extent. Unfortunately for this patient, this was the initial presentation due to the inability to access care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Initial management is with high-potency topical corticosteroids. Systemic steroids should be avoided to prevent exacerbation or eruption of pustular psoriatic lesions. In this case, given the patient’s age and disease severity, she was seen in the ED by Dermatology and initiated on corticosteroid topical therapy. She was encouraged to establish care with rheumatology to be routinely screened for associated life-altering pathologies including psoriatic arthritis and uveitis.
Take-Home Points
- When making a visual diagnosis of plaque psoriasis, evaluate for erythema, edema, or signs of superinfection.
- Avoid systemic steroids given the risk of rash exacerbation, especially upon withdrawal.
- Younger patients and those with more than 10% body surface area involvement should be evaluated by a dermatologist for initiation of topical corticosteroids and possible escalation to phototherapy, methotrexate, retinoids, or biologic agents.
- Menter A, Cordoro KM, Davis DMR, Kroshinsky D, Paller AS, Armstrong AW, Connor C, Elewski BE, Gelfand JM, Gordon KB, Gottlieb AB, Kaplan DH, Kavanaugh A, Kiselica M, Kivelevitch D, Korman NJ, Lebwohl M, Leonardi CL, Lichten J, Lim HW, Mehta NN, Parra SL, Pathy AL, Farley Prater EA, Rupani RN, Siegel M, Stoff B, Strober BE, Wong EB, Wu JJ, Hariharan V, Elmets CA. Joint American Academy of Dermatology-National Psoriasis Foundation guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis in pediatric patients. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020 Jan;82(1):161-201. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.08.049. Epub 2019 Nov 5. Erratum in: J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020 Mar;82(3):574. PMID: 31703821.