Prevalence of skin disorders among geriatric patients in the black sea region of Turkey

Abstract

Background:: Aging is an unavoidable process affecting all organ systems including the skin. The elderly population is defined as people aged ≥65 years, and the elderly population is growing worldwide. The present study aims to determine the prevalence of dermatological diseases in the elderly patients aged ≥65 years and evaluate sociodemographic characteristics in this particular age group. Methods: The data of 300 geriatric patients aged ≥65 years who were admitted to our clinic between October 2013 and January 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Of these patients, 130 (43.3%) were female and 170 (57.7%) were male. The mean age of the patients was 73.57 ± 6.80 years. Eczematous dermatitis was detected in 77 of patients (25.7%). Of these patients, 135 (45%) had xerosis. The most common benign skin tumor was isolated seborrheic keratosis (n=82,58%). Actinic keratosis comprised the majority of malignant and premalignant lesions that occurred in 25 patients (8.3%). Cellulitis was the most common bacterial skin infection that occurred in 21 patients (7%). The rate of lichen planus was 0.6% in males and significantly more common in females with a rate of 3.1% (p=0.09; p<0.05). The rate of xerosis was 39.2% in patients aged 65-74 years, 53% in patients aged 75-84 years, and 54.2% in patients aged ≥85 years. The relationship between age and the rate of xerosis showed a borderline significance (p=0.05; p<0.05). Conclusion: Keeping in mind the most common dermatological problems in geriatric patients would enable early diagnosis of the conditions and selection of appropriate therapies.

Keywords

• Geriatric patients
• prevalence
• skin disorders

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