Page 66 - JCBP-1-2

Journal of Clinical and

Basic Psychosomatics

BRIEF REPORT
The prevalence of skin disorders in patients with

schizophrenia

Narang Tarun , Natarajan Varadharajan , Seema Rani , Hitaishi Mehta ,
1
2
1
2
2
2
Sanjana Kathiravan , and Shubh Mohan Singh *
1 Department of Dermatology, Leprology and Venereology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical
Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
2 Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER),
Chandigarh, India
Abstract

There is ample evidence suggesting the presence of various multisystemic
comorbidities in patients with schizophrenia. However, data on dermatological
comorbidities in these patients are scarce. The present study aimed to analyze the
profile of cutaneous conditions in patients with schizophrenia and contribute to
the existing evidence in this area. A total of 102 consecutive adult patients with
schizophrenia, who were attending the follow-up service at the outpatient clinic of
the Department of Psychiatry in a tertiary hospital in North India, were evaluated by
a dermatologist for the presence of any skin disorder. Dermatological findings were
noted in 70% of patients and 38% had multiple skin conditions. Infections were the
most prevalent diagnosis, with fungal infections being commonly observed. Other
common dermatoses included nevi, age-related cutaneous changes, dyschromia, and
drug-induced acne. The present study concluded that there is a high prevalence of
*Corresponding author: dermatological diseases in patients with schizophrenia. Caregivers and psychiatrists
Shubh Mohan Singh managing these patients should familiarize themselves with these conditions, and
(shubhmohan@gmail.com)
dermatology consultation should be sought for prompt diagnosis and management.
Citation: Tarun N, Varadharajan N,
Rani S, et al., 2023, The prevalence
of skin disorders in patients with Keywords: Schizophrenia; Psychosomatics; Dermatoses; Psychodermatology
schizophrenias. J Clin Basic
Psychosom, 1(2): 1001.
https://doi.org/10.36922/jcbp.1001
Received: May 26, 2023 1. Introduction
Accepted: July 10, 2023
Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic mental disorder, the exact etiology of which remains
Published Online: August 1, 2023 unknown. However, various strands of evidence point to the fact that schizophrenia is a
[1]
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). brain disorder of neurodevelopmental origin .
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the Embryologically, the skin shares its origin with the central nervous system (CNS),
Creative Commons Attribution and thus it stands to reason that neurodevelopmental pathologies are potentially
License, permitting distribution, [2]
and reproduction in any medium, associated with skin disorders . The potential association is reflected in phenomena
provided the original work is such as the faulty growth of skin fibroblasts sourced from patients with schizophrenia
properly cited. in culture media . Second, immunological mechanisms that influence both the CNS
[3]
[4]
Publisher’s Note: AccScience and skin may contribute to skin pathology in schizophrenia . Third, patients with
Publishing remains neutral with schizophrenia may experience lower levels of self-care and impaired quality of life,
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional which can lead to poor hygiene and subsequent skin disorders such as infections. The
affiliations. symptoms of schizophrenia, such as repetitive self-harming behaviors or hand washing,

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcbp.1001