CUTANEOUS MANIFESTATIONS OF HYPOTHYROIDISM- A CLINICAL STUDY.

Thyroid disorders are known to involve all organ systems of the body including the skin. The aim of the study was to evaluate the cutaneous manifestations in patients with hypothyroidism and to determine the proportion of cutaneous manifestations among hypothyroid cases. The study was carried out in the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology in collaboration with the Department of Medicine, Endocrinology Unit, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal. In this study, one hundred 100 known cases of hypothyroidism were taken up for a period of 18 months, with effect from November 2013. Out of the 100 patients included for the study, 70% had one or more than one cutaneous manifestations of hypothyroidism. The various cutaneous manifestations in their decreasing order of frequencies were xerosis 15% , diffuse hairfall 13% , pruritus, cool skin and thyroid enlargement 10% each , hyperpigmentation and urticaria 8% each , pale skin 7% , nail brittleness and vitiligo 6% each , psoriasis 3% ,myxedematous changes, onychomycosis, acne vulgaris, lichen planus, dermatophytes and candidiasis 2% each , folliculitis, alopecia areata, polymorphic light eruption PMLE , systemic lupus erythematosus SLE , discoid lupus erythematosus DLE , xanthelesma palpebrarum, pemphigus vulgaris and systemic sclerosis 1% each . Hence, dermatologists should be alert when they come across such cutaneous manifestations and keep in mind hypothyroidism to rule it out as the underlying cause.