Rare diseases · Sign or symptom

Parakeratosis

HP:0001036

What it means

Abnormal formation of the keratinocytes of the epidermis characterized by persistence of nuclei, incomplete formation of keratin, and moistness and swelling of the keratinocytes.

Persistence of the nuclei of keratinocytes as they rise into the stratum corneum of the epidermis. Parakeratosis is observed as scaling in many conditions such as psoriasis.

Rare diseases that can present with this12

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions, and Orphanet separately records 1 disease where this sign is specifically absent. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Parakeratosis

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This page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.