Pattern of Skin disorders across age groups

Abstract

Objective: Pattern of skin diseases has been noted to differ across age groups both in specific types and in clinical manifestations. This variation across age groups has been attributed to growth and development of the skin; to complex hormonal changes occurring at different stages of life; and environmental factors. To highlight differences in the pattern of presentation of skin disorders in different age groups with respect to the characteristic physiological changes in patients seen at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study done at the dermatology clinic. Demographic data and diagnoses were extracted from the clinical records of all new patients seen between January 2010 and December 2014 (a five year period). These were captured on Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: Infections and eczematous conditions were the most prominent group(s) of cutaneous disorders across all ages though acne vulgaris ranked high in adolescents/young adults. Nutritional dermatoses, infestations and genetic disorders occurred predominantly in the pediatric age group. All other diseases peaked in the adult group whilst infections, eczemas and papulosquamous disorders had two peaks (in the pediatric and the adult age group). Conclusion: Infections and eczematous condition were the most prominent group of cutaneous disorder across all ages apart from acne vulgaris which ranked high in the adolescents/young adults. Knowledge of this will help in health planning and early diagnosis of skin disorders. Keywords: Skin, Age Groups, Infections, Eczemas, Acne vulgaris