Context: Pediatric dermatoses vary globally, with differences in presentation, treatment, and outcome influenced by location, diet, environment, and socioeconomic factors. Aims: This study aimed to assess the clinicoetiological profile of dermatoses in children under 18 years of age. Settings and Design: An observational study was carried out in the Department of Pediatrics and Dermatology of a tertiary care center in Northern India for 18 months (from January 2021 to October 2022). Subjects and Methods: Four hundred and eighty-two children under 18 years of age with clinical evidence of cutaneous disorders were enrolled. Detailed history, systemic, cutaneous examination, and pertinent investigations were recorded. Results: Four hundred and eighty-two children were enrolled (mean age 6.6 ± 5.10 years; M: F 1.06:1), with the majority constituted by school-going children (47.71%) and belonged to rural localities (71%). Infections (29.79%) constituted the most common spectrum of skin diseases, followed by dermatitis and eczematous diseases (20.75%), infestations (14.11%), hypersensitivity disorders (8.30%), neonatal skin disorders (7.47%), miscellaneous (7.25%), pigmentary (5.19%), nutritional disorder (3.94%), papulosquamous disorders (2.07%), and appendegeal disorders (1.24%). Among infective dermatoses, bacterial infections were the most common, followed by fungal infections and viral infections. Among noninfectious disorders, atopic dermatitis was the most common, followed by seborrheic dermatitis. Erythema neonatorum (3.73%) was found to affect the majority of neonates, followed by diaper dermatitis, miliaria, and collodion baby. Conclusions: Infections were the most prevalent pattern of dermatoses in our study, followed by dermatitis, infestations, and hypersensitivity disorders. The pattern of dermatoses also guides the modifications that should be made to local disease control and health education programs.
Arya et al. (Tue,) studied this question.