Study of Paediatric Dermatoses in a Tertiary Care Centre in North Central Maharashtra

Introduction: Paediatric population contribute to 30 % of the patients in outpatient department. The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence and epidemiology of various paediatric dermatosis and also to analyse the various aetiological factors involved. Materials and methods: This was a study conducted in 1000 children attending outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in north central part of Maharashtra. All the children till 18 years of age were included in the study. Results: Out of the 1000 patients in this study males were 561 and females were 439. The most common age group to attend the outpatient department was 11 to 18 years of age (47.2 %). The most common dermatological condition for which patient approached the outpatient department was infections (51.4 %). this was followed by eczema (17.9 %). Among the infections and infestations, bacterial infections were the most commonly seen condition, 27.62 % of total infections, which was followed by viral (26.25 %), fungal (26.07 %) and parasitic (20.03 %). Non-infectious dermatoses was noted in 48.6 % of the study population. Maximum number of cases belonged to eczema contributing to 17.9 % of the total dermatoses. Conclusion: Infections in children are a reflection of the health status and hygiene practices in the community. Various studies related to epidemiology of paediatric dermatoses shows diversity in results due to the geographic position and climatic variation of the area. Knowledge about various dermatoses in the area would be helpful to educate the local community well in advance.