A Study of Histopathological Spectrum of Skin Lesions- Biopsy Interpretation in a Rural Tertiary Health Care Centre

Introduction: Skin is the largest organ of the body and skin diseases are not rare in India. Skin biopsy is a commonly used technique for diagnosis of skin lesions and requires clinico-pathological correlation. Material and Methods: The present study was conducted to determine the incidence and age-sex distribution of various skin diseases in our tertiary health care center. A total of 120 biopsies were studied retrospectively from January 2018 to December 2020. On the basis of histopathological classification, the skin diseases were divided into eight groups. Results: Majority of cases belonged to group III disorders of the superficial cutaneous reactive unit with 49 cases (40.9 %), followed by group V disorders of perivascular, diffuse, and granulomatous infiltrates of the reticular dermis contributing 25 cases (20.8%). However, most common individual lesion in the present study was leprosy of Group V with 21 cases (17.5%). Out of 120 skin biopsies a definitive diagnosis by histopathology was made in 108 (90 %) cases. In remaining 12 cases, definitive diagnosis could not be achieved. Most common age group was 41-50 years with 30 (25 %) cases. Sixty-four (53.3%) patients were women, thus showing female preponderance. Conclusion: Leprosy is still most prevalent skin disease emphasizing stronger measures to control it.