Prevalence and Pattern of Skin Diseases among School Age Children at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria: A Hospital Based Study

Background: Skin diseases are common among school age children. In the absence of population based studies, data from hospital based studies could be a pointer to the enormity of the problem within the community.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and pattern of skin diseases among school age children at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).

Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective review of the records of all children aged 6-18 years seen at the dermatology clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019. Socio-demographic characteristics and diagnosis were obtained from the clinic register. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0.

Results: Three hundred and forty- seven patients aged 6 -18 years were seen over the period under review. Males were 165 (47.55%) and females were 182 (52.45%). The mean age was10.79±3.35 years. The overall prevalence of skin disease was 16.3%. The five most common diagnoses were Papular urticaria 10.35%, Scabies 10.08%, Atopic dermatitis 8.72% and Dermatophyte infections 8.17%. One hundred and two (29.4%) patients out of the 347 patients with skin diseases, had transmissible skin diseases of which scabies 37 (36.27%) was the commonest.The commonest Dermatophyte infection was Tinea corporis 15 (50.00%), followed by Tinea capitis 7 (23.33%).

Conclusion: School age children made up significant number of patients seen at the dermatology clinic at UPTH and almost a third of them had transmissible skin disease. An effective School Health Programme will curb the spread of transmissible skin disease within schools in Port Harcourt.