Dermatosis of scalp and hair disorder: an observational study in a hilly state of North-East India

Abstract

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> The skin of the scalp has several unique features that aid in its critical role of protecting the head. These unique features of the scalp make it susceptible to superficial mycotic conditions, parasitic infestation and inflammatory conditions. These disease processes of the scalp can have significant overlap in clinical symptomatology. The aim was to observe the clinical profile of scalp dermatosis and hair disorder at a tertiary care hospital.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This was a cross sectional observational study which was carried over a period of 1 year 5 months from August 2019 to November 2020. A total of 76 patients were included in the study, who visited dermatology OPD of SMIMS, Sikkim.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> This study included 76 patients of clinically and histopathologically diagnosed cases of scalp dermatosis and hair disorder, 47 males and 29 females. A total of 18 different dermatoses were observed in this study. The most common disorder was seborrheic dermatitis, which accounted for 18.4 %, followed by androgenetic alopecia in 17% and alopecia areata in 15% cases in the present study.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The article provides an overview of the most common scalp disorders, which we have observed in our study.</p>