Infectious Dermatoses are Common in Primary Health Care Setting in Côte d’Ivoire

Abstract

Background: Infectious dermatoses are common in many countries in Africa. These skin conditions mostly caused by bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic agents are frequent in primary health care setting. These are favored by poverty that deprives individual of the freedom to satisfy basic needs and rights: this includes freedom to enjoy clean water or sanitary facilities, and good accommodations or remedies for illnesses. Objective: This study was conducted to show the frequency of infectious dermatoses in a primary health center in Côte d’Ivoire. Methods: It was retrospective and descriptive study conducted in the community health care center in Yopougon Attié from 2006 to 2010. Results: About 3.392 patients out of 22.609 (15% of cases) were admitted for dermatoses during a period of 5 years. Only 203 patients got accurate diagnosis for dermatoses. Sixty three patients were males (32.7%) and 135 were females (67.5%). The sex ratio was 2.08 in favor to females. Patients’ age ranged from 6 months to 59 years with average age of 27 years ±2.2. Patients from age group between 15 and 29 years were the most concerned (46.4%), followed by the age group under 14 years (25.8%). Illiterate or primary and secondary education patients (79.9%) were mostly observed. Adverse socio-cultural practices were performed in 56.7% of cases. We observed infectious dermatoses in 92.12% of cases (194/203) infections due to bacterial agents were most observed in 42.6% of cases, followed by viral agents in 31.95% of cases. We found HIV positive patients in 5.7% of cases. Conclusion: Infectious dermatoses are common in primary health care setting in Côte d-Ivoire and can be treated by any physician. But, a dermatological training is needed to improve primary health care practitioners’ dermatological skills for clear diagnosis and appropriate treatment in order to reduce their incidence and prescription costs.