A RETROSPECTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL REVIEW ON THE PATTERNS OF DERMATOLOGICAL DISEASES SEEN IN THE COMMUNITY SKIN HEALTH CLINICS OF A LOCAL HEALTH CENTER, AN URBAN CHARITY HOSPITAL, AND PROVINCIAL SKIN CLINICS FROM JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2013.

Introduction. At present, there is no unified study assessing the  pattern  of  skin  disease   in  the  community  skin  clinics managed by the St. Luke's Medical Center, which include the urban communities of a local health center and an urban charity hospital, and rural communities. A comparison of disease pattern and prevalence between rural and urban poor setting is helpful in designing future health programs.

Objectives.To determine patterns of skin disease (prevalence,

age distribution, and  sex predilection)  among  patients of  the aforementioned skin clinics from January to December 2013.

Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted by collating

and analyzing data of new patients seen in the three community skin clinics from January to December 2013. Comparison of data between urban and rural communities was conducted.

Results. A total of 3748 cases were diagnosed from the 3275 patients included in this study, majority of whom were female. The most common skin disease seen in the urban poor community was scabies infestation (24.86%), followed by bacterial infections and eczemas.These cases were predominantly seen in the pediatric and young adult age group. On the other hand, the most common skin conditions seen in the rural community were lichen simplex chronicus (9.10%)  and xerosis (5.91%). Majority of these conditions were seen in the adult age group. Lastly, conditions of significant morbidity were identified.

Conclusion.Disease pattern in a community may be influenced by several factors inherent in the area that include occupation, environment, socio-economic conditions, and sanitation.

Key words. patterns of skin disease, community, urban, rural