Abstract
Dermatological problems in the geriatric population are common and often underestimated.A few studies are available on the dermatologic diseases in this population. Hence, this study is undertaken to evaluate the spectrum of skin changes in the elderly population.This study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology, Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, attached to RL Jalappa Hospital, Kolar, Karnataka, India. A total of 300 patients were recruited for this study, among them 185 (61.6 %) were males and 115 (38.4%) were females. All the patients aged more than 60 years with skin disorders attending the dermatology OPD were included in the study. A detailed physical and clinical examination was performed for all the study subjects. Patients with genodermatoses, albinism, premature aging and inherited disorders of DNA which may interfere with chronological aging skin were excluded from the study.Out of 300 patients, 185 cases (61.6%) were males and 115 cases (38.4%) were females. Pruritus was the commonest complaint in 186 patients (62%). Among the chronological changes of aged skin, wrinkling was the commonest manifestation observed in 282 (94%) cases. The most commonly observed diseases were eczematous dermatitis in 133 (44.3%) cases, followed by infections and infestations in 122 (40.6%) and papulo-squamous diseases in 33 (11%). A total of 46 (15.3%) patients were found to have papulo-squamous disorders. Psoriasis vulgaris was observed in 21 (7%) cases. Among premalignant and malignant disorders, 4 (1.3%) cases had actinic chelitis, 2 (0.6%) cases of basal cell carcinoma and 1 (0.3%) case of squamous cell carcinoma. A total of 5 patients had connective tissue disorders. The comorbid conditions included hypertension in 49 (16.3%) cases, followed by diabetes mellitus in 31 (10.3%) and 5 (1.6%) patients had hypothyroidism.Dermatological findings in geriatric population are universal and cause considerable morbidity. This would necessitate the need for conducting an exclusive evaluation for these patients.
Highlights
Dermatological problems in the geriatric population are common and often underestimated
1 Aging of the skin, chronic diseases, personal skin care habits and poly-pharmacy predisposes the geriatric population for various skin disorders. 2,3
The genetic program theory describes it as an irreversible, orderly process, whereas the stochastic theory implicates “wear and tear” by random environmental assaults. 7,11 In addition to this, poor immune response in geriatric population predisposes them to skin diseases
Summary
Dermatological problems in the elderly are common and the prevalence will continue to increase because of elevated levels of life expectancy. 1 Aging of the skin, chronic diseases, personal skin care habits and poly-pharmacy predisposes the geriatric population for various skin disorders. In India, there are about 104 million elderly individuals out of which 53 million are females and 51 million males according to 2011 population census and this may increase dramatically over the four decades. Raghavendra B N and Rajesh G / IP Indian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dermatology 2020;6(1): degenerative changes like wrinkles, infectious diseases including bacterial, viral and fungal infections, infestation, eczema, neoplasms, papulo-squamous disorders, psoriasis, non-healing ulcers, hair and nail changes, immune-bullous disorders like bullous pemphigoid. A few epidemiological studies reported that in the elderly population skin diseases have high prevalence. 7,11 In addition to this, poor immune response in geriatric population predisposes them to skin diseases. This study is undertaken to evaluate the spectrum of skin changes in the elderly population of a tertiary care hospital
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
