Dermagraphia is best described as:

• A. Dermagraphia
• B. Dermatomycosis
• C. Dermatitis
• D. Dermatopathy

Answer: (A)

Dermagraphia describes the skin’s writing-like reaction to mechanical stimulation, known as dermographism. When the skin is lightly stroked or scratched, a red, raised line or wheal appears along the stroke, a hallmark of a mild form of urticaria. This is a specific phenomenon tied to how the skin reacts to physical pressure or irritation, rather than an infection, inflammation, or a general skin disease.

Dermatomycosis refers to fungal infections of the skin, dermatitis to skin inflammation with a variety of causes, and dermatopathy to a broad term for skin diseases. None of those describe the protective, stroke-induced wheal pattern that characterizes dermagraphia, so the term itself is the best descriptor for this particular reaction.