A Prospective Observational Study of Infantile Dermatoses in Infants Aged 29 Days to 12 Months at a Rural Tertiary Care Center in North India

Background: The period of infancy is marked by a crucial physiological shift, during which the skin undergoes rapid development, leading to modifications in immune responses and physical protection.The skin of an infant represents a transitional stage -retaining certain physiological characteristics of neonatal skin while gradually acquiring the functional maturity of adult skin.This study aimed to diagnose and categorize cutaneous lesions in children between 29 days and 12 months of age and to identify specific dermatoses that coexisted with traditional rural child-rearing practices (e.g., oil massage and application of cow dung/kajal).Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted among 200 infants aged 29 days to 12 months with cutaneous changes attending the dermatology outpatient department of a tertiary care teaching hospital in North India.Results: The study included 200 infants (29 days to 12 months) comprising 115 males (57.5%) and 85 females (42.5%).Concerning age distribution, the largest proportion of infants fell in the 6-12 month age group (n = 90, 45%).Most of the infants belonged to a rural locality (n = 128, 64%) and lower-middle socioeconomic class (n = 110, 55%).Oil massage was practiced in the majority of infants (n = 160, 80%).Traditional cosmetic/remedial practices were also documented, with kajal/surma application being the most frequent (n = 64, 32%), followed by talcum powder use (n = 31, 15.5%).A wide spectrum of dermatological conditions was observed across the study population.Eczematous and inflammatory dermatoses emerged as the single largest category overall (n = 93, 46.5%).Atopic dermatitis was the leading diagnosis within this group (n = 28, 14%), closely followed by diaper dermatitis (n = 25, 12.5%), followed by seborrheic dermatitis/cradle cap (n = 22, 11%), and irritant contact dermatitis (n = 15, 7.5%).Bacterial infections were the next most prevalent group, followed by fungal infections, parasitic infestation, viral infections, congenital and developmental lesions, and lastly pigmentary disorders.Conclusion: Most studies on infantile dermatoses originate from high-volume referral centers and predominantly focus on the neonatal period.Limited data are available from lower-volume tertiary care centers serving predominantly rural populations.Our study specifically evaluated infants aged 29 days to 12 months, focusing on acquired infectious and inflammatory dermatoses and excluding the neonatal period.This provides insight into the disease spectrum, preventable morbidity, and potentially modifiable household practices in this relatively understudied age group.