Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Dec;10(4):362-6.

Skin diseases among children attending the out patient clinic of the University of Nigeria teaching hospital, Enug

L J Emodi  1 , A N Ikefuna, U Uchendu, U A Duru
Affiliations

Skin diseases among children attending the out patient clinic of the University of Nigeria teaching hospital, Enug

L J Emodi et al. Afr Health Sci. 2010 Dec.

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of skin diseases varies worldwide and information regarding local prevalence of its various causes may help the development of policies towards better management.

Objective: To document the types of skin disorders seen among children attending the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu( UNTH).

Methods: The medical register from the children out patient clinic was used to obtain information on pattern and outcome of skin diseases seen from January 1996 to December 2005.

Results: Of the 16,337 children seen in children.s out patient clinic (CHOP), 1506 (1.3%) had a skin disease. Age range was one week to 16 years with a mean ± SD of 3.89 ± 3.8 years. Children aged 0 - 5 years constituted 70.24% of patients with skin diseases. The commonest skin condition was pyoderma (29.81%) seen mainly in those below 5 years, followed by scabies (13.55%). Approximately 1/3 (33.3%) of the patients were referred to the dermatology clinic.

Conclusion: Infectious skin diseases constitute a high percentage of skin disorders encountered in paediatrics. Almost half (48.4%) of the skin problems were diagnosed as non-specific dermatitis suggesting the need of better dermatological training of the paediatric residents.

Keywords: Enugu (Nigeria); childhood; profile; skin diseases.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. WHO, author. Discussion papers in Child Health. Epidemiology and management of common skin diseases in children in developing countries. 2005. WHO/FCH/CAH/05.12.
    1. Growing awareness of skin diseases. Bull of WHO. 2005;83:881–968. PubMed. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ajao AO, Akintunde C. Studies on the prevalence of tinea capitis in Ile-IfeNigeria. Mycopathol. 1985;98:43–48. PubMed. - PubMed
    1. Odueko DM, Onayeni O, Oyedeji U. a prevalence survey of skin diseases in Nigerian children. Nig J of Med. 2001;10:64–67. PubMed. - PubMed
    1. Ngwogu A, Otokunefo TV. Epidemiology of dermatophytoses in a rural community in Eastern Nigeria and review of literature from Africa. Mycopathologica. 2007;164:149–158. PubMed. - PubMed

MeSH terms