Pattern of skin disorders in geriatrics

Abdel Gaber, Reham M.; Melad, Kerolos R.; Hefny, Rasha M.; Sotohy, Rehab S. A.; Mohamed, Hatem Z.

doi:10.4103/JCMRP.JCMRP_102_20

Pattern of skin disorders in geriatrics

Authors

Abstract

Background
Geriatric health care is a universal concern, as the rise in life expectancy is usually accompanied by distinctive patterns of prevailing diseases. Rather few studies are available concerning geriatric skin disorders.
Aim
In this study, we tried to determine the frequency and pattern of dermatologic disorders in a geriatric population.
Patients and methods
This is a retrospective study using the database of outpatient clinics of the Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Andrology, Assiut University. All patients, aged 65 years and older, with newly diagnosed skin disorders were included with no exclusion criteria.
Results
The study included 946 patients, who were classified according to their age into three groups. The most common group of diseases was dermatitis and eczema, representing 41.86%, followed by skin infections (24.0%) (mainly viral). Papulosquamous disorders showed statistically significant increase in males, whereas bullous disorders and disorders of skin appendages showed statistically significant increase in females. Autumn showed a statistically significant increase in disorders of skin appendages compared with other seasons.
Conclusion
Elderly patients showed a specific pattern of skin disorder distribution, with the eczemas and infections representing more than 65% of the patients' diagnoses. Accordingly, the type of dermatological care needed for the geriatrics is different from that of the other age groups.

Keywords