Pattern of skin diseases among patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan.

Abstract

ObjectiveThere has been a rise in the magnitude of dermatological diseases in the South East Asian region. This study aimed to determine the pattern of various skin disorders appearing in the Dermatology Department of a tertiary care hospital, which will help people to understand the scale of the rising incidence and possible preventive measures that can be undertaken to curtail it.MethodsAn observational study was conducted on all the patients who attended the Dermatology Department during a one year span. A thorough medical history with detailed cutaneous examination was carried out on every patient. Investigations and skin biopsies were performed, where required, for confirmation of diagnosis.ResultsA total of 95,983 patients presented in the outpatient Department of Dermatology, King Edward Medical University Mayo Hospital Pakistan. Out of this sample, 24,302 patients repeatedly came to the hospital for a follow up visit related to their diseases, while 71,681 were enrolled as new cases. This group comprised 58% females and 42% males; most patients were in the 20–40 years age group. Out of 71,681, eczema was diagnosed in 22,275 (31.07%), infections including bacterial, viral, fungal, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in 20,178 (28.16%), acne 7910 (11.03%), drug reactions 4830 (6.74%), urticaria 2910 (4.06%), and pigmentary disorders such as lichen planus, melasma and vitiligo were reported in 2739 (3.82%) cases. In addition, psoriasis was reported in 2724 (3.80%), bullous disorders in 1187 (1.66%) and connective tissue disorders in 645 (0.90%). The majority of patients presented with advanced eczema and infectious diseases.ConclusionEczema was the most common skin disease seen in our study, followed by dermatological infections. The emerging challenges for dermatologists are to prevent and reduce these skin diseases that pose a major healthcare burden, as well as affect the quality of patients' lives.