Prevalence and Demographic Profile of Skin Disorders in School- Going Children of Urban and Rural Jaipur

Abstract

Introduction: Skin disorders are common in children but have not been regarded as a public health problem even though they put a large burden on health care systems worldwide. About one-third of children in India are affected by skin disorders at any given time. Climatic factors, poor hygiene, poor access to water, household overcrowding and close contact lead to this high prevalence. However there is a relative paucity of data in comparison to this high prevalence. Study objective was to determine the prevalence and pattern of skin disorders amongst school going children aged 6 to 17 years in rural and urban Jaipur and their nutritional, socioeconomic and standard of sanitation correlates. Material and Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in 410 children aged 6-17 years from ten randomly selected schools, five rural and five urban, in Jaipur from 1 st January 2017 to 30 th June 2018. Detailed history including grading of socioeconomic status and standard of sanitation as well as physical examination were done with due regard to privacy. Clinical diagnosis was made. Results: The prevalence of skin disorders was found to be 48.3%, more in girls (59.6%) and more in rural areas (58.1%). Seborrhoea capitis (15.4%) was the most common followed by Acne vulgaris (13.2%), Pityriasis alba (4.4%), Tinea (all types) (3.9%), Pediculosis capitis (3.2%), and Furunculosis, Scabies and Pityriasis versicolor (<2% each). Prevalence had a significant correlation with level of sanitation whereas not with literacy of parents, socioeconomic status (Kuppuswamy score) and type of school. Only one fourth of symptomatic children took treatment. Conclusion: High prevalence of skin disorders exists in school-going children of Western India, especially noninfectious dermatosis. Rural residence and level of sanitation are significant attributes.

Prevalence and spectrum of pediatric dermatoses in school children: comparing hospital and school in rural Bangalore

“…This is similar to previous studies. 5 The sex distribution in our study shows a slight female preponderance similar to reported by earlier studies like Karthikeyan et al 14 Most other studies suggest equal or slight male preponderance. 1 Out of 72 cases of dermatoses in the hospital, the age group mostly affected is primary school with 48.6%, and high school group comprising of 26.4%.…”

“…This is identical to 58% reported by Kohli et al which was conducted in Jaipur. 5 Even the prevalence of infectious dermatoses (~50%) correlates to previous published results. 1,12 Our findings of infectious dermatoses being due to parasitic infestations, more in females and primary school group validates the findings of previous studies.…”

“…1,10,13 Though this is in variance with findings of other studies which were carried out in Jaipur and Varanasi. 5,11 In our school study, among the noninfectious dermatoses (57.4%), the most common are eczematous lesions (40.7%), which are slightly more common in males (54.5%) and mainly affecting the children of high school (45.4%). This is similar to previous studies.…”

“…can be quickly diagnosed by their clinical features and need little or no further investigations. [3][4][5] An essential component of understanding and managing dermatoses is health education with specific active focus on personal hygiene, living spaces and overcrowding, environmental sanitation and nutrition. If proper measures are not taken for keeping the body and surroundings clean, the body is liable to various skin infections, infestations and diseases, as skin is the primary protective barrier.…”

“…This is bound to hamper the physical well-being of the individual and community and society at large. 2,4,5 In children, dermatological disorders cause considerable discomfort, morbidity, parental anxiety, unnecessary absence from school and other psychosocial side effects such as embarrassment, feeling of stigmatization, loss of confidence and disruption of social relations. 3,4 It is believed that dermatological problems constitute at least 30% of all outpatient visits to a pediatrician and 30% of all visits to a dermatologist involve children.…”