HISTOPATHOLOGICAL SPECTRUM OF NONNEOPLASTIC DERMATOLOGICAL LESIONS IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTER, IN MULUGU, SIDDIPET - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and acts as a protective barrier against external components. Various factors stimulate a variety of skin diseases. Biopsy is the most common tool employed to diagnose these conditions. While most of these diseases can be diagnosed clinically, histopathological examination is pivotal for accurate diagnosis. The present study was performed to analyze the occurrence of nonneoplastic skin lesions, highlighting the age, sex and site distribution of various lesions as well as their morphological patterns. This was a noninterventional, cross-sectional, retrospective study of all skin biopsy specimens collected at our tertiary care hospital in Mulugu, Siddipet district, Telangana over a period of 1 year from September 2022 to September 2023. In our study, there were 89 patients, for a female to male ratio of 1.17:1 (53.9% and 46.1% respectively). The most common age group was 21-30 years. Twenty-one (23.59%) conditions were indeterminate. The most common category of lesions was papulosquamous disorders, of which lichen planus was the most common lesion. Among infectious diseases, leprosy was the most common.