Prasanna Kanniah Baskaran 1 , Navakumar Manickam2 , Kannan Gopalan 3 , Eby Chacko 4 , Mohammed Shoubin
BACKGROUND Skin diseases in pediatric age group are common all over the world. Pediatric dermatoses require separate view from adult dermatoses as there are differences in their clinical presentation and treatment. OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of pediatric dermatoses attending our tertiary care center. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 100 consecutive children with dermatoses between 5-14 years of age attending dermatology outpatient department at Vinayaka Missions Kirupananda Variyar medical college, Salem. The study was conducted over a period of 6 months from February 2016 to August 2016. Demographic parameters, detailed history, clinical features and diagnosis were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS In our short term study, we examined 100 pediatric cases with 106 dermatoses. The incidence of infections and infestations (43.39%) was more prevalent in our study. The most common non-infectious dermatoses in our study was insect bite reactions (17.9%). Dermatitis and eczema (9.39%), disorders of sweat and sebaceous glands (6.6%), pigmentary disorders (5.66%), disorders of hair and nails (3.77%), genetic disorders (2.88%), immune and allergic disorders (2.8%), psoriasis (2.8%), nutritional disorders (0.9%), Polymorphic light eruption (0.9%), pearly penile papule (0.9%), aphthous ulcer (0.9%) and pityriasis rosea (0.9%) were the other dermatoses seen in the study. CONCLUSION Fungal infections (tinea versicolor and tinea corporis), scabies and insect bite reactions were the common dermatoses observed in our study. Most of the pediatric patients attending our hospital came from rural areas belonging to low socioeconomic strata. Health education, proper sanitation and improved nutrition will help to reduce the incidence of pediatric dermatoses.
