Prevalence of skin diseases in rural areas of Assiut Governorate, Upper Egypt

BACKGROUND: Few epidemiological surveys have been carried out to determine the prevalence of skin diseases in the population of Egypt, particularly "Upper Egypt". So it is a pressing necessity to conduct such a study in rural Assiut. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of various skin diseases in rural Assiut. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional community-based survey was followed. The survey included 8008 rural inhabitants of all ages and both sexes from a representative of three villages of Assiut Governorate, Upper Egypt. The data were collected through personal interview and examination at homes from December 1994 to December 1996. RESULTS: They showed that 6961 (86.93%) of the studied population had one or more skin diseases. The group with parasitic skin infestations had the highest prevalence rate (27.40%) of the total sample, of which pediculosis capitis (19.37%) was the commonest. Eczema/dermatitis group had a rate of 19.82%, with pityriasis alba forming the majority (13.49%). Pigmentary disorders were 17.68%, followed by fungal skin infections (16.17%), then naevoid disorders (16.10%), hair and scalp disorders (12.07%), bacterial skin infections (10.10%), sweat gland disorders (6.16%), acne vulgaris (5.37%). Leprosy constituted 1.6/10,000. Other various skin disorders were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: Infective-parasitic diseases were a major problem particularly among the younger age-group and those of low socio-economic status.