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

Abstract

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. The data of 300 geriatric patients aged ≥65 years who were admitted to our clinic between October 2013 and January 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. 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). Keeping in mind the most common dermatological problems in geriatric patients would enable early diagnosis of the conditions and selection of appropriate therapies.