Infections of the Skin among Children in Ho Teaching Hospital of the Volta Region, Ghana

Abstract

Skin infections are common disorders responsible for hospital attendance in the pediatric practice. Unfortunately, the epidemiology of these infections in tertiary facilities is both unstudied and underreported. Therefore, the burden of skin infections among children in Ghana remains indistinct. This hospital-based study sought to evaluate skin infections among children attending the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH). In this retrospective study, the electronic medical records of children aged 0 to 14 years (12, 170) who attended the HTH’s pediatric unit outpatient clinic between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016 were reviewed. All (1, 877) identified dermatological case records from the database were retrieved. They were then double-checked to further affirm demographic information (age and sex) and diagnosis of skin infection with the medical folders to clarify unclear observations. Pearson chi square was used to evaluate the association between the different age group of the children and the types of skin infection as well as comorbidities. Only 1, 887 (15.5%) of all case records reported with a presenting dermatological complaint. Sixty-five percent (65%) of these (1226 of 1887) were diagnosed with a form of skin infection. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of children with skin infection were admitted into the ward for further management. Majority (441, 35.97%) of skin infected children were between 1 - 4 yrs. Impetigo (393, 46.6%) and furunculosis (410, 48.6%) were the most prevalent skin infections compared to herpes (3, 6.5%) and warts (4, 8.7%). The parasitic skin infection recorded in this study was scabies (23, 100%). Gender disparity existed, with female children aged 10 - 14 years significantly having more skin infection than males (