Evaluation of skin disease patterns in a tertiary dermatology outpatient clinic in Türkiye

Abstract

Skin diseases are among the reasons for frequent hospital admissions and bring a significant burden. The aim of this study is to determine the pattern of skin diseases in our dermatology outpatient clinic in a tertiary care hospital in Türkiye. Pediatric and adult patients evaluated in our dermatology outpatient clinics for the first time were included in this cross-sectional observational designed study between January and March 2023. The characteristics of the patients, including age, gender, duration of disease, anatomic localization of the disease, and complaint counts, were recorded in the data collection form. Diagnoses were grouped according to gender, age, and complaint counts. A total of 1381 patients with 1772 skin problems were included in the study. 62.3% of the patients were female (n=860), and 37.7% (n=521) were male. The age range was between 0 and 98 years. The most common diseases were acne (18%), dermatophytosis (8.1%), viral warts (6.5%), seborrheic dermatitis (4.8%), other dermatitis (4.8%), follicular disorders (4.6%), pruritus (3.7%), scabies (3%), benign neoplasms (3%), and urticaria (3%), respectively. 23.4% of the patients (n=324) had at least two complaints. The maximum number of complaints at one visit was 5. The probability of reporting more than one complaint was higher in women and those whose first complaint was on the scalp. In this analysis to determine the patterns of skin diseases, acne, dermatophytosis, and viral warts were found to be important problems. The number of complaints at one visit may vary according to gender and localization.