Comparison of Dermatological Diseases in Prison and General Dermatology Outpatient Clinics: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background and Objective: Dermatological diseases may vary depending on environmental conditions, hygiene, psychosocial stress, and access to healthcare. Data comparing the distribution of dermatological diseases between prison populations and the general population are limited. This study aimed to compare the frequency of dermatological diseases observed in patients admitted to prison dermatology outpatient clinics and general dermatology outpatient clinics. Methods: This retrospective observational study included 442 patients, of whom 200 were admitted to a prison dermatology outpatient clinic and 242 to a general dermatology outpatient clinic. Demographic characteristics and dermatological diagnoses Data were collected from medical records and analyzed using Jamovi software. Continuous variables were compared with the Mann–Whitney U test, and categorical variables with the chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. Results: Viral warts, scabies, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, and seborrheic Dermatitis was observed significantly more often in patients admitted to the prison dermatology outpatient clinic. In contrast, dermatitis (eczema group, including atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, nummular dermatitis,],) was significantly more common in the general dermatology outpatient clinic. The two groups did not differ significantly with respect to acne, dermatophytosis, or psoriasis. Conclusion: Several infectious and stress-related dermatological diseases were more prevalent among prisoners, whereas dermatitis was more frequent in the general population. These results indicate that environmental conditions and psychosocial factors may influence the distribution of dermatological diseases and highlight the importance of targeted dermatological care in prison settings.

Keywords

• Prison health
• dermatological diseases
• viral warts
• scabies; alopecia areata

Ethical Statement

This study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was obtained from the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Gazi Yasargil Training and Research Hospital (Approval No. 727; November 7, 2025). Given the retrospective design and use of anonymized data, the requirement for informed consent was waived by the ethics committee.

Cezaevi ve Genel Dermatoloji Polikliniklerinde Dermatolojik Hastalıkların Karşılaştırılması: Retrospektif Bir Çalışma

Abstract

Amaç ve Giriş: Dermatolojik hastalıklar; çevresel koşullar, hijyen, psikososyal stres ve sağlık hizmetlerine erişim gibi faktörlere bağlı olarak değişkenlik gösterebilir. Cezaevi nüfusu ile genel nüfus arasında dermatolojik hastalıkların dağılımını karşılaştıran veriler sınırlıdır. Bu çalışma, cezaevi dermatoloji polikliniğine ve genel dermatoloji polikliniğine başvuran hastalarda gözlenen dermatolojik hastalıkların sıklığını karşılaştırmayı amaçlamıştır. Yöntemler: Bu retrospektif gözlemsel çalışmaya, 200’ü cezaevi dermatoloji polikliniğine ve 242’si genel dermatoloji polikliniğine başvuran toplam 442 hasta dahil edilmiştir. Demografik özellikler ve dermatolojik tanılara ait veriler tıbbi kayıtlardan elde edilmiş ve Jamovi yazılımı kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Sürekli değişkenler Mann–Whitney U testi ile, kategorik değişkenler ise ki-kare veya Fisher’in kesin testi ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Bulgular: Viral siğiller, uyuz, alopesi areata, telogen effluvium ve seboreik dermatit, cezaevi dermatoloji polikliniğine başvuran hastalarda anlamlı derecede daha sık gözlenmiştir. Buna karşılık, dermatit (egzama grubu,atopik dermatit,kontakt dermatit ve numuler dermatiti içeren egzema grubu) genel dermatoloji polikliniğinde anlamlı olarak daha yaygındır. Akne, dermatofitoz veya psoriazis açısından iki grup arasında anlamlı fark saptanmamıştır. Sonuç: Enfeksiyöz ve stresle ilişkili bazı dermatolojik hastalıklar mahkumlar arasında daha yaygınken, dermatit genel popülasyonda daha sık görülmüştür. Bu bulgular, çevresel koşulların ve psikososyal faktörlerin dermatolojik hastalıkların dağılımını etkileyebileceğini göstermekte ve cezaevi ortamlarında hedefe yönelik dermatolojik bakımın önemini vurgulamaktadır.

Keywords

• Cezaevi sağlığı
• dermatolojik hastalıklar
• viral siğiller
• uyuz
• alopesi areata.

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