Pattern of Skin Diseases at King Khalid National Guard Hospital: A 12-Month Prospective Study

Abstract

Brief ReportsPattern of Skin Diseases at King Khalid National Guard Hospital: A 12-Month Prospective Study Ali A. Raddadi, MD Shareef A. Abdullah, and MSc Zeena B. DamanhouriMSc Ali A. Raddadi Address reprint requests and correspondence to Dr. Raddadi: Department of Medicine, King Khalid National Guard Hospital, P.O. Box 9515, Jeddah 21423, Saudi Arabia. From the Department of Medicine, Dermatology Section, King Khalid National Guard Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Search for more papers by this author , Shareef A. Abdullah From the Department of Medicine, Dermatology Section, King Khalid National Guard Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Search for more papers by this author , and Zeena B. Damanhouri From the Department of Medicine, Dermatology Section, King Khalid National Guard Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Search for more papers by this author Published Online:1 Sep 1999https://doi.org/10.5144/0256-4947.1999.453SectionsPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail AboutIntroductionThe aim of this study was to review the pattern of skin diseases seen in the Dermatology Clinic at King Khalid National Hospital, Jeddah, a major hospital in the Western region of Saudi Arabia, during a 12-month period from July 1997 to June 1998. Jeddah is the major city in the Western region, with an approximate population of two million. The city is located on the Red Sea, and has a hot climate, with daily temperatures ranging from 15-43°C. throughout the year, with high humidity at times and only occasional rainfall. The King Khalid National Guard Hospital is one of the major government hospitals in the region catering for national guard military personnel and their families, as well as non-national guard patients. The hospital offers secondary and tertiary care, and is equipped with modern sophisticated facilities.MATERIALS AND METHODSThis was a prospective study that included all new patients attending the Skin Clinic at King Khalid National Guard Hospital during the study period. All patients were seen by consultants and specialists. The diagnosis in each case was based on clinical findings, and histopathological examination of skin biopsies where necessary. The diseases were classified into nine major groups, according to the ninth revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9).RESULTSDuring the 12-month study period, the total number of patients attending the Dermatology and Venereology Outpatient Clinic at the hospital was 5260. Of this number, 910 (17.3%) were new patients. There were 782 adult (>12 years) patients (85.93%) and 128 children (<12 years) (13.79%). There were 418 males (45.93%) and 492 females (54.06%), with a female/male ratio of 1.2:1. Saudi nationals constituted the majority of patients at 860 (94.5%) with non-Saudis numbering only 50 (5.49%). National Guard personnel comprised 149 (16.36%), their families 367 (40.33%), and non-National Guard patients were 394 (43.29%).A total of 928 new diagnoses were seen during the study period. These were classified into nine categories according to the frequency of presentation. Table 1 shows the main disease groups, of which eczema/dermatitis topped the list (18.64%), followed by acne (9.48%), viral infections (9.26%), bacterial infections (7.65%), pigmentary disorders (6.46%), fungal infections (6.35%), papulosquamous diseases (4.84%), and urticaria (2.37%). Miscellaneous skin conditions were diagnosed in the remaining 328 patients (34.9%), and disorders of hair and pruritus were the most common.Table 1. Common skin diseases in Western Region, Saudi Arabia, July 1997-June 1998.Table 1. Common skin diseases in Western Region, Saudi Arabia, July 1997-June 1998.DISCUSSIONThe current study is the first to describe the patterns of skin diseases in the Western region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The King Khalid Hospital is a referral center for primary health clinics in Jeddah, Makkah and Taif. Although this study was limited to our hospital, we believe that the results represent a rough estimate of the prevalence of skin diseases in the Western region, and that the distribution of dermatoses according to age and sex reflect the true prevalence (as both the referral and the eligibility systems of the hospital apply no specific restrictions).The results of the present study were compared with similar published studies in Saudi Arabia and other countries. Table 2 shows a comparison of the incidence of some common dermatoses in different regions of Saudi Arabia, namely Asir1 and Al-Jouf.2 In the present study, we found that the incidence of eczema, bacterial infections and lichen planus in the Western region was lower than that of the other two regions, but the incidence of viral warts was higher. The incidence of superficial mycoses and vitiligo was comparable in all regions. In the acne group, our results were similar to those from Al Jouf, but the incidence was lower in Asir. As regards psoriasis, the prevalence in our study was higher than that of Asir but lower than that of Al Jouf.Table 2. Comparison of incidence (%) of some common dermatoses in different regions of Saudi Arabia.Table 2. Comparison of incidence (%) of some common dermatoses in different regions of Saudi Arabia.Four countries were chosen with which to compare the results of the present study (Table 3). These countries are Canada (Vancouver),3 Kenya,4 India (Calcutta),5 and United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi).6 In Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, and Calcutta, dermatitis/eczema constituted roughly 20% of all skin diseases seen. A higher percentage was reported from Kenya and Vancouver. The cases of pyoderma accounted for 5%-7% of the total number in our study, similar to that reperted from Kenya and Vancouver, but the incidence was lower in Abu Dhabi (2.55%) and higher in India (30-40%). Cases of acne constituted 7%-10% in Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, and Vancouver, and 3.5%-4% in Kenya and Calcutta.Table 3. Comparison of incidence (%) of some common dermatoses in different countries.Table 3. Comparison of incidence (%) of some common dermatoses in different countries.Vitiligo and lichen planus constituted 3%-4% and 0.5-1.5%, respectively, in all countries. Superficial mycoses were seen in 6.4% of cases in the present study. Similar findings were noted in Kenya and Abu Dhabi, but were lower at 4.3% in Vancouver, and higher at 15%-20% in Calcutta. Psoriasis occurred in similar frequency in Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Kenya and Vancouver, but was lower in Calcutta. Similarly, the prevalence of viral warts was comparable in Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, and Vancouver, but was found to be lower in Kenya and Calcutta.In conclusion, our results showed no major differences in the prevalence of skin diseases in the published reports from different regions in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region. The finding of a high incidence of eczema in Vancouver was attributed to industrialization, and the high incidence of pyoderma and superficial mycoses in Calcutta was thought to be due to overpopulation.ARTICLE REFERENCES:1. Bahamdan KA, Egere JU, et al.. "The pattern of skin diseases in Asir region, Saudi Arabia: a 12-month prospective study in a referral hospital" . Ann Saudi Med. 1995; 15:455–7. Google Scholar2. Agarwal PK. "Pattern of skin diseases in the Al-Jouf region" . Ann Saudi Med. 1997; 17:112–4. Google Scholar3. Mitchell JC. "Proportionate distribution of skin diseases in a dermatological practice" . Can Med Assoc J. 1967; 97:1346–50. Google Scholar4. Verghan AR, Koten JW, Chaddah VK, et al.. "Skin diseases in Kenya: a clinical and histopathological study of 3168 patients" . Arch Dermatol. 1968; 89:577–86. Google Scholar5. Banerjee BN, Datta AK. "Prevalence and incidence pattern of skin diseases in Calcutta" . Int J Dermatol. 1973; 12:41–7. Google Scholar6. Abu Share'ah M, Abdel Dayem H. "The incidence of skin diseases in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)" . Int J Dermatol. 1991; 30:121–4. Google Scholar Previous article Next article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byAlshamrani H, Alsolami M, Alshehri A, Salman A, Alharbi M, Alzuhayri A and Mleeh N (2019) Pattern of skin diseases in a university hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: age and sex distribution, Annals of Saudi Medicine, 39:1, (22-28), Online publication date: 1-Jan-2019.Al Shobaili H (2010) The pattern of skin diseases in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia: What the primary care physician should know, Annals of Saudi Medicine, 30:6, (448-453), Online publication date: 1-Nov-2010. Volume 19, Issue 5September 1999 Metrics History Received6 February 1999Accepted7 June 1999Published online1 September 1999 InformationCopyright © 1999, Annals of Saudi MedicinePDF download