Reflections of COVID-19 Pandemic on Dermatology Outpatient Clinics

Abstract

Aim: We aimed to investigate the effects of stress on dermatological diseases that come into our lives with this new infection, which can have vital effects and limitations in social life during the covid 19 pandemic process.Material and Method: In this retrospective study, patients who were examined in the dermatology outpatient clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic (April - May 2020) and the same period last year (April - May 2019) were evaluated. The number of patients who applied, application dates, age and sex of patients, and ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision) diagnosis codes were recorded by scanning the electronic database of the hospital. Results: The rate of referral to the dermatology outpatient clinic decreased by 6.3 times compared to the previous year. The average age of the patients who applied to the dermatology outpatient clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic period was significantly higher compared to that of the patients who applied during the same period in the previous year. It was observed that during the pandemic period, men applied to the dermatology outpatient clinic significantly more than in the previous year. COVID-19 infection was not detected in patients who applied to the Dermatology outpatient clinic during the early period of the pandemic.Conclusion: While there was a decrease in outpatient consultations for cosmetic reasons, a significant increase in consultations for stress-induced dermatoses was found. Stria rubra development in the young population for reasons such as a sedentary life and possible nutritional disorders as a result of the restrictions experienced during the pandemic period was one of the interesting findings of this period. We think that patients with the coronavirus infection and associated skin findings apply to other clinics instead of the dermatology clinic due to the presence of other accompanying systemic symptoms.