Pattern of Childhood Dermatoses at a Teaching Hospital of Saudi Arabia

Objective: To determine the pattern of childhood dermatoses in Eastern province of Saudi Arabia (SA), in the setting of a university-affiliated hospital, and to compare this with other similar surveys conducted in SA. Methods: This is a retrospective study of pediatric patients attending the outpatient dermatology clinic and dermatology emergency room at King Fahad Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, SA, over a period of 24 months from January 2004 to January 2006. All new pediatric patients less than 13 years of age were included. The patient s age, sex, nationality and diagnosis were extracted from the medical records and analyzed. Then our data were compared with previous hospital based surveys conducted in SA. Results: During the study period, a total of 11365 new patients were seen, including 383 pediatric patients. Pediatric consultations represent 3.4% of all dermatology consultation. The three leading causes for consultation were dermatitis and eczema (30.3%), followed by viral infections (12.5%), and pigmentary disorders (8.9%). Among dermatitis, atopic dermatitis was the most predominant condition (50%). Among viral infections, viral wart was the most frequent (70.8%). Comparing our data with a previous hospital survey conducted in the same region showed similar pattern with minor differences. Comparing our findings with other reports from Najran (Southern SA) and Al-Jouf (Northern SA) showed that dermatitis was the most frequent group of diseases in the three regions. It was followed by viral infections in Al-Khobar and Najran, and pyodermas in Al-Jouf. The third most frequent groups were pigmentary disorders in Al-Khobar and Najran, and viral infections in Al-Jouf. Conclusion: The majority of childhood dermatoses in various regions of SA may be grouped into relatively few diagnostic categories including eczema, infections, and pigmentary disorders.