Nasza Dermatologia Online (Jul 2017)

Spectrum of viral skin infections in patients attending the dermatology clinic at King Fahd Hospital of the University in Alkhobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period 2010-2014

  • Al Anood A. Al Thukair,
  • Deema H. Sallout,
  • Dina W. Abdulghani,
  • Dina T. Al Afandi,
  • Hawra A. Al Johi,
  • Hessa O. Al Otaibi,
  • Lina M. Abu Gharara,
  • Iqbal A. Bukhari

DOI
https://doi.org/10.7241/ourd.20173.75
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 3
pp. 260 – 263

Abstract

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Introduction: Viral skin infections are an important disease group in the dermatology field. Many factors play a role in the incidence of skin diseases. There are only a few reports of surveys conducted on the prevalence of viral infections in Saudi Arabia. Our study is the first in the gulf region which can serve as a good reference for planning therapeutic healthcare measures. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of viral skin infections in patients who attended the dermatology clinic at King Fahad Hospital of the University (KFHU) in Alkhobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during a period of five years. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study conducted at the outpatient clinic of the Dermatology Department of KFHU for the period between January 2010 and December 2014. Patients age, gender, diagnosis were documented in a data sheet and analyzed using SPSS V.16. Results: The total number of patients seen during that period was 4798, 25.8% were in the age group of 21-30 years, 19.5% were in the age group of 11-20 years, and 14.1% were in the age group of 2-10 years. The most commonly encountered skin diseases were acne (16.5%) followed by eczema (15%), pigmentary disorders (9.6%) and viral infections (7.9%). A variety of viral skin infections were diagnosed including warts, herpes labialis, herpes genitalis, chicken pox and molluscum contagiosum. Warts comprised 72.5% of the total reported viral infections while Chicken pox and herpes genitalis were the least common reported diseases. Discussion: The most commonly encountered disease group among the 4798 patients seen at KFHU was acne (16.5%). The second was dermatitis and eczema (15%). Pigmentary disorders came in third place (9.6%), and viral infections followed in fourth place (7.9%). Compared to previous studies in Saudi Arabia, ours showed the lowest prevalence. Warts comprised 72%. Molluscum contagiosum (11.4%) and Herpes zoster 7.7%. The least commonly encountered viral diseases were chicken pox and herpes genitalis. Conclusion: Viral skin diseases are one of the major health problems in the dermatology specialty. Further studies should be performed to control these conditions.

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