Skin Disorders among Elder Patients in a Referral Center in Northern Iran (2011)

Abstract

Background. Geriatric health care has become a worldwide concern, but a few statistical studies were carried out about skin diseases in this age group. In this study, we set out to determine the frequency as well as the age and gender distribution of dermatological diseases in geriatric patients. Materials and Methods. In a cross-sectional study, all patients over 60 years who were accepted to department of dermatology in north of Iran participated in this study. Baseline information and clinical examination were done by a group of dermatologists. Biopsy, Pathological and laboratory methods were used in order to confirm the diagnosis. Results. 440 patients were accepted to the department that 232 patients were male (52.7%). Benign neoplasm was as the common skin disease among patients (65%), followed by erythemo-squamous (35.3%) and precancerous lesions (26.1%). The most common precancerous lesion was actinic keratosis (24.3%). BCC by 8.8% was the most prevalent skin carcinoma. Pruritus was the common problem in other dermatological disease (22%). Conclusion. Skin disorders especially precancerous lesion are among those important health problems in elderly patients in this geographic area. Increasing general awareness about risk factors of these diseases and doing more researches in other regions are highly recommended.

Prevalence of benign, precancerous and malignant skin tumors in the elderly population in Mugla

“…In addition, BCC is more common in men than in women [6]. Several studies have reported BCC prevalence ranging from 0.1% to 8.8% [12,14,18]. In our study, BCC prevalence was 2.1%, and it affected both genders in equal measure.…”

“…In a study performed in İzmir, Turkey, the prevalence of SCC was found to be 26.6% among skin cancers other than MM [7]. In a study by Darjani et al [14] the SCC prevalence was reported to be 3.8%. In addition, SCC was 2-3 times more common in men than in women [19].…”

“…Others reported an AK prevalence ranging from 2.4% to 19% [4,13,18]. Darjani et al [14] noted that AK was the most common pre-cancerous disease. In our study, AK was the most common disease with 12% prevalence.…”

Chronic Pruritus in the Elderly: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Management

“…Itch is one of the most common complaints among elderly patients in dermatology clinics worldwide, with a reported prevalence ranging from 7.3 to 37.5 % [8][9][10][11][12][13]. In a recent comprehensive study using a standardized itch questionnaire administered to geriatric outpatient and nursing home patients, the prevalence of chronic itch was reported to be 25 %, with high itch intensity [visual analogue scale (VAS) score 6 ± 2.1] [1].…”

A precancerous saree lesion: a rare occurrence

“…Atrophic dermatitis has been found to be more prone for developing carcinoma. 6 It has been pointed out that every cutaneous scar which is subjected to continuous irritation has an increased potential for malignant degeneration. 7 Neuman et al 8 proposed that the traumatic displacement of a living epithelial tissue into the dermis may cause a foreign body response and lead to a deranged regenerative process, resulting in a carcinomatous change.…”