Abstract |
Introduction: Globally, the percentage of individuals who will experience some form of skin disorders in their lifetime amounts to 87% of the general population. More than 3000 skin conditions have been described overall, affecting patients of all ages and ethnicities, and they constitute one of the most common reasons for seeking care in healthcare facilities. The role of General/Family Practitioners (GPs) in the diagnosis and treatment of dermatological conditions is fundamental, as they are the first point of contact for patients within the healthcare system. However, accurate diagnosis remains a challenge even for specialized physicians due to the multitude and diversity of skin lesions.
Objective: The present thesis aimed to document and present the diagnoses of patients who presented at the University General Hospital of Heraklion with a skin disorder, in order to clarify the prevalence of skin diseases in the region of Crete, emphasize the significant role of General/Family Practitioners in the diagnosis and management of these diseases, and identify possible solutions to promote public health in the future.
Methodology: This was a retrospective study in which recorded all cases that examined at the Dermatology Clinic of the Emergency Department of the University General Hospital of Heraklion from January 2022 to December 2022. These cases were recorded regarding gender, age, season, clinical diagnosis, and management of each case. All univariate comparisons between categorical variables were performed using Peason’s chi-square test. The level of statistical significance was set to α=0.05. All plots and statistical analysis were performed using Microsoft excel and IBM SPSS version 25.
Results: A total of 1552 cases were recorded, with the male-to-female ratio being almost 1:1, while the mean age of the examined patients was 48 years. The majority of patients resided in urban areas. Regarding the diagnosis, it was observed that the 9 most common diagnoses were dermatitis (21%), fungal skin infections (11.3%), viral exanthems of the skin (11%), parasitic skin infections (6.9%), bacterial skin infections (6.3%), insect bites (5.5%), acute or chronic urticaria (4.6%), followed by drug eruptions (3.8%) and sexually transmitted diseases (3.4%), which together constituted 73.8% of the total diagnoses of emergency dermatological cases.
Conclusions: According to the findings of this study, knowledge of the most frequently occurring skin disorders is important for the holistic care of patients. Additionally, the need for strengthening Primary Health Care was clarified.
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