One-week surveys of office visits to a general pediatric clinic were carried out at monthly intervals over a six-month period. Skin complaints accounted for 24% of the primary and secondary reasons for initiating clinic visits. Six categories of dermatologic conditions accounted for 81.5% of the pediatric clinic visits, with skin infections comprising 38.5%. A survey of new referrals to a pediatric dermatology clinic over a similar seasonal span revealed that the same six categories made up 51.8% of diagnoses. The surveys indicate that skin disorders are common reasons for pediatric office visits and suggest some areas that should be emphasized in the training of physicians in dermatologic diagnosis and management.
Cystic fibrosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of the red, scaly infant, particularly when failure to thrive, hypoproteinemia, and edema are also present. Recognition of rash as a sign of cystic fibrosis complicated by protein-energy malnutrition will allow earlier diagnosis and treatment of these patients and may improve their outcome.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.