The spectrum of skin diseases seen in a Jamaican tertiary academic medical center

Abstract

BackgroundThe diversity of skin diseases seen in a dermatology clinic varies with the composition of the population.ObjectiveThe aim was to document the spectrum of cutaneous disorders seen and the variation with sex, age, and seasons.MethodsThis was a retrospective study on new patients attending an academic dermatology clinic in Jamaica during 2018. Disease frequencies and prevalence by sex, seasons, and age group were recorded.ResultsThere were 547 new patients with 329 females (60%) and 218 males (40%). The mean age was 36.8 years, ranging from 2 weeks old to 103 years old. The largest number of patients were in the third decade (20-29 years) (n = 139). More patients presented in the dry season and in spring and summer. The most common diagnoses were: seborrheic dermatitis (n = 65, 11.9%), acne (n = 56, 10.2%), and contact dermatitis (n = 38, 6.9%). The most common disease groups were dermatitis (n = 161, 29.4%), infections (n = 130, 23.8%), and inflammatory disorders (n = 129, 23.6%).LimitationsThe generalizability of our findings may be limited, and selection bias may play a role in patients choosing to attend an academic dermatology clinic.ConclusionsSkin diseases varied with age, sex, and season with seborrheic dermatitis being most common.