Genital dermatoses in children in a tertiary care hospital in Northeast India

Abstract

: Skin conditions in children are impacted by their socio-economic status, environmental conditions, cultural and food habbits: To evaluate the frequency and pattern of non venereal genital dermatoses in children visiting the dermatology outpatient department at Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Silchar, a prospective research was carried out from December 2022 to December 2023: 127 children aged 1 to 18 years who had non venereal genital dermatoses verified by relevant bedside and laboratory examinations were included in the current study after providing appropriate informed permission. They were divided into four age groups: young children (ages 1-3), preschoolers (ages 3-6), students (ages 6-10), and teenagers (ages 9-18). : Of the 127 children—82 boys and 45 girls—37.77% attended school. Of the 110 children with infective dermatoses,75 percent lived in hostels; these individuals were primarily from rural areas and belonged to low (55.2%), middle (43.23%), and high (1.55%) socioeconomic groups. Bullous impetigo was the most prevalent infectious dermatosis in preschoolers, whereas genital scabies, tinea cruris, and molluscum contagiosum were the most frequent in teenagers. Of the 17 kids with non-infectious dermatoses, 55.2% come from a low-income background. 2.36% of patients had phrynoderma and nutritional deficiencies, whereas 0.79% had genital vitiligo. The additional non-infectious dermatoses that were discovered were eczema, hemangiomas, lichen planus, and lichen sclerosus. : school-going age group children are more likely to suffer from infectious dermatoses such as pyoderma, scabies, fungal infections than nutritional deficiencies. This is likely due to a combination of factors including poor health, poverty, poor personal hygiene, and a lack of access to soap and antifungals. Better nutrition and health education are recommended by our study.