The pattern of skin diseases in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia: What the primary care physician should know

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Epidemiological studies to determine the burden of skin diseases are important for proper health care planning. The purpose of this study was to find the pattern of skin diseases in our patients attending university-affiliated dermatologic clinics in the Qassim region.METHODS:We conducted a prospective study of all Saudi patients attending the Qassim University Medical College-affiliated dermatology clinics of the Ministry of Health for a period of 12 months from 1 March 2008 to 28 February 2009.RESULTS:The study included 3051 patients comprising 1786 (58.5%) males and 1265 (41.5%) females. Males outnumbered females (P<.05) (male-to-female ratio, 1.4:1). The mean age (standard error of the mean) of the patients was 25.3 (0.27) years. About 71% of the patients were between 5 and 34 years of age. The top five skin diseases were eczema/ dermatitis (19.5%), viral infections (16.6%), pilosebaceous disorders (14.4%), pigmentary lesions (11.2%) and hair disorders (7.6%). The major disorder in males was viral skin infections (20.0%), while eczema/dermatitis (20.7%) constituted the most prevalent skin disease in females. Seasonal variations were recorded in cases of pigmentary lesions, papulosquamous disorders and protozoal infections.CONCLUSION:Infectious skin diseases, eczema/dermatitis, pilosebaceous disorders, pigmentary lesions and hair disorders ranked as the top five skin diseases. Appropriate training programs for diagnosing and managing common skin diseases should be initiated for primary health care physicians and other general practitioners so as to decrease referrals to dermatology clinics.

The Pattern of Skin Diseases in a Hospital in Qunfudah Region, Saudi Arabia.

“…However, some studies conducted here in Saudi Arabia have found the opposite, with males being significantly more prominent than females in other regions; this may be due to cultural factors that prevent females from seeing doctors, or male lifestyles in these areas that make them more prone to skin diseases. [9][10][11][12] In general, the pattern of skin diseases in the area studied, as shown in Figure 2, is identical to what has been found in previous studies all around Saudi Arabia. However, in contrast with these previous studies, atopic eczema was 1369 also the most frequent disease, but the percentage of eczema was much higher in our area, while viruses were the commonest cause of infections in other areas, but in our region fungal infection was more prevalent.…”

“…This may be caused by the geographical location of Qunfudah city; being beside the sea, there is a high level of humidity, and the hot climate year-round creates a viable breeding ground for fungal infections. [9][10][11][12] Infections were more common in males; we believe this is because males' lifestyle cause them to have more exposure to heat and humidity, as well as contact with animals. However, females had more hair disorders, which we believe are induced by pregnancy and breastfeeding, or perhaps because they use hair dyes more often than males, that contain chemicals that could lead to hair damage; a recent study conducted in South India supports this hypothesis.…”

“…8 In recent years, development and urbanization have been accelerating among many populations; the very same situation can be seen in Saudi Arabia, leading to certain changes in the lifestyle and health of communities. While a few studies have been published on skin disease patterns in certain areas of Saudi Arabia, [9][10][11][12] there is no information available on other areas such as the Qunfudah region, leading to the necessity of conducting this study in said locality. In order to achieve better health services and enable planning for future treatment projects, it is helpful to know which types of skin disease most prevalently affect which subgroups of the population; epidemiological studies are highly useful in this regard.…”

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Primary Care Physicians Regarding Common Dermatological Disorders in Abha City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

“…Seasonal variations were recorded in cases of pigmentary lesions, papulosquamous disorders and protozoal infections. [11]While Abdulrahman et al (2008) reported that during the five year period (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005), a total of 58450 cases were seen at the dermatological clinics of Riyadh Military Hospital. The incidence of dermatological diseases was more in female patients 34123 (58.38%) than male patients 24327 (41.62%).…”

Patients Seen at the Dermatology Ambulatory Office in a Tertiary Care Center in Qassim Region , Saudi Arabia

“…This observation correlates well with other studies that report allergic skin diseases as the most common cause to seek care from a health provider. (4)(5)(6)(7) Among the allergic skin diseases observed, dermatitis was predominant. The breakdown of dermatitis subtypes has revealed a high frequency of contact dermatitis (33.9%).…”