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.