COVID-19 Pandemisi Sürecinde Dermatoloji Polikliniklerine Başvuran Yaşlı Hastaların Değerlendirilmesi: Retrospektif Çalışma

Abstract

Objective: During the ongoing coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the overall number of patients presented to dermatology outpatient clinics has decreased. This study aims to examine the number of elderly patients presented to dermatology outpatient clinics during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the periodic variation in the number of patients, and the most common reasons for their presentation. Material and Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 448 presentations of 381 patients aged ≥60 years between March 11 and May 31, 2020. These cases were evaluated considering the age, gender, presentation diagnoses, presence of chronic diseases, the urgency of complaints, duration of symptoms, and whether they had contracted COVID-19. Results: Overall, 15% of the patients were diagnosed with eczematous dermatitis, followed by psoriasis and senile pruritus. Chronic diseases were present in 319 (83.7%) patients. Most patients applied between March 11 and March 31, in the first period of the pandemic. It was determined that seven of the patients had contracted COVID-19 infection. Conclusion: This study suggests that the curfew policy in Turkey has greatly affected the decision of elderly people in visiting dermatology outpatient clinics. However, the number of elderly patients presented to the outpatient clinic remains substantial. The spectrum of the presentation diagnoses of the patients was similar to the pre-pandemic period. Determining the reasons for the elderly population to visit these clinics during the pandemic can provide a guide in taking the necessary precautions to meet the health needs of this population in similar situations in the future.