Skin diseases among children attending the out patient clinic of the University of Nigeria teaching hospital, Enug

Background: The prevalence of skin diseases varies worldwide and information regarding local prevalence of its various causes may help the development of policies towards better management. Objective: To document the types of skin disorders seen among children attending the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu(UNTH). Methods: The medical register from the children out patient clinic was used to obtain information on pattern and outcome of skin diseases seen from January 1996 to December 2005. Results: Of the 16,337 children seen in children's out patient clinic (CHOP), 1506 (1.3%) had a skin disease. Age range was one week to 16 years with a mean +/- SD of 3.89 +/- 3.8 years. Children aged 0-5 years constituted 70.24% of patients with skin diseases. The commonest skin condition was pyoderma (29.81%) seen mainly in those below 5 years, followed by scabies (13.55%). Approximately 1/3 (33.3%) of the patients were referred to the dermatology clinic. Conclusion: Infectious skin diseases constitute a high percentage of skin disorders encountered in paediatrics. Almost half (48.4%) of the skin problems were diagnosed as non-specific dermatitis suggesting the need of better dermatological training of the paediatric residents.