Background: Skin diseases are frequently encountered in the tropics and are a serious cause of morbidity, disfigurement and distress in all age groups. The aim of this study is to determine prevalence and common dermatological conditions encountered in UPTH. Methods: Children aged 0-16 years attending the dermatology clinic in UPTH from June 2005 to November 2007 were prospectively studied. Results: A total of 1,226 skin disorders were seen, 247 (20.1%) were children aged 0-16 years. Skin disorder was commoner in females 139(56.3%) than males 108(43.7%). Papular urticaria 36(14.6%), atopic dermatitis 34(13.8%) and tinea 31(12.6%) were the most commonly observed childhood skin diseases. Conclusions: Skin diseases such as papular urticaria and atopic dermatitis are important dermatological problems in our environment. Implementation of public health policies and improvement in personal hygiene would reduce the prevalence of skin diseases in Nigerian children.

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Background: Increased frequency of psychiatric and emotional health problems has been reported among patients with dermatological lesions. These problems could negatively affect the quality of life of these patients. Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the psychiatric morbidity among dermatology patients. It also sought to determine the relationship between sociodemographic factors and psychiatric morbidity. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study consisting of 90 consenting patients attending the dermatological clinic of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. These patients filled the study questionnaire which comprised of a sociodemographic questionnaire, general health questionnaire (GHQ-12), and a perceived stigma scale. A GHQ score of ≥ 3 was considered as having psychiatric morbidity. Statistical analysis was performed at the 0.05 significance level. Results: The mean age of the patients was 32 ± 13 years and a male to female ratio of 1:2; 34 of the 90 patients (38%) had psychiatric morbidity. Forty-three (48%) patients had perceived stigma, with mild perceived stigma as the most common category (40%) of perceived stigma. There was no significant relationship between sociodemographic characteristics of the patients and psychiatric morbidity (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Psychiatric morbidity is common among patients with dermatological lesions irrespective of their sociodemographic characteristics. Addressing the psychosocial care of patients who attend the dermatologic outpatient clinic may be helpful.

Background: Skin diseases are common among children in the developing countries in Sub Saharan Africa where there is low level of hygiene, overcrowding and warm humid climates.  However, there are no known community based studies on the prevalence of skin diseases among primary school children in Rivers State, Nigeria. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and types of skin diseases among primary school children in three semi urban communities in ObioAkpor LGA in Rivers State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross sectional study was conducted in five public primary schools in three semi urban communities in ObioAkpor LGA over a three months period from September to November 2017.  Five hundred and twenty four children were recruited for the study from the selected schools. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographics and a team of investigators examined each child for evidence of skin diseases. Results: There were 263 (50.2%) males and 261 (49.8%) females, with male to female ratio of 1.01: 1. Their ages ranged between 5 to 16 years, with a mean age of 9.5±2.22 years. The prevalence of skin lesions among the children was 35.3% (185/524). Skin infections, inflammatory dermatitis and other skin lesions accounted for 39.5%, 14.1% and 46.5% respectively of the skin diseases. The most prevalent specific skin disease found was Dermatophyte infection in 50 (27.0%) children, followed by Xerosis 21 (11.4%). Tinea capitis was the most common (52.1%) skin infection. The commonest inflammatory dermatitis found was Seborrheic dermatitis 53.8%. Age had no significant influence on the prevalence of skin infections (p=0.711). Conclusion: The prevalence of skin diseases was high among primary school children in the semi urban communities in ObioAkpor LGA and Dermatophyte infection accounted for more than a quarter of the  skin diseases found. Maybe regular inspection of the skin of primary school children by health professionals and teachers should be done in order to reduce the spread of infectious skin diseases within the schools.

Background: Skin diseases are common among school age children. In the absence of population based studies, data from hospital based studies could be a pointer to the enormity of the problem within the community. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and pattern of skin diseases among school age children at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective review of the records of all children aged 6-18 years seen at the dermatology clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019. Socio-demographic characteristics and diagnosis were obtained from the clinic register. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: Three hundred and forty- seven patients aged 6 -18 years were seen over the period under review. Males were 165 (47.55%) and females were 182 (52.45%). The mean age was10.79±3.35 years. The overall prevalence of skin disease was 16.3%. The five most common diagnoses were Papular urticaria 10.35%, Scabies 10.08%, Atopic dermatitis 8.72% and Dermatophyte infections 8.17%. One hundred and two (29.4%) patients out of the 347 patients with skin diseases, had transmissible skin diseases of which scabies 37 (36.27%) was the commonest.The commonest Dermatophyte infection was Tinea corporis 15 (50.00%), followed by Tinea capitis 7 (23.33%). Conclusion: School age children made up significant number of patients seen at the dermatology clinic at UPTH and almost a third of them had transmissible skin disease. An effective School Health Programme will curb the spread of transmissible skin disease within schools in Port Harcourt.