Population Characteristics, Symptoms, and Risk Factors of Idiopathic Chilblains: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression

Background: Chilblains/perniosis is a non-freezing cold injury causing painful inflammatory skin lesions. Its pathogenesis remains poorly understood because it is often studied as secondary to other underlying conditions. Methods: We systematically investigated the population characteristics, sympto...

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發表在:Biology
Main Authors: Areti K. Kapnia, Styliani Ziaka, Leonidas G. Ioannou, Irini Flouri, Petros C. Dinas, Andreas D. Flouris
格式: Article
語言:英语
出版: MDPI AG 2022-11-01
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在線閱讀:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/11/1651
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總結:Background: Chilblains/perniosis is a non-freezing cold injury causing painful inflammatory skin lesions. Its pathogenesis remains poorly understood because it is often studied as secondary to other underlying conditions. Methods: We systematically investigated the population characteristics, symptoms, and predisposing factors of chilblains in healthy adults exposed to cool/cold environments. We screened PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library, and we adopted PRISMA reporting guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD42021245307). The risk of bias was assessed by two independent reviewers (RTI item bank). Random-effects model meta-analyses were performed to calculate the pooled prevalence of histopathological features. Mixed-effects meta-regressions were used to assess other sources of between-study heterogeneity. Results: Thirteen studies (477 patients) were included. Chilblains affect more women than men, up to 12% of the body skin surface, and most frequently, the hands and fingers. Meta-analyses of nine studies (303 patients) showed a frequent presence of perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate (81%), basal epidermal-cell layer vacuolation (67%), papillary dermal edema (66%), and perieccrine lymphocytic infiltrate (57%). Meta-regressions (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) showed that smoking and frequent occupational exposure to water increase the likelihood of histopathological features. Conclusions: The population characteristics, symptoms, and predisposing factors of chilblains revealed in this analysis should be incorporated in medical care to improve the condition’s diagnosis and management.
ISSN:2079-7737