Infectious skin disorders encountered in a pediatric emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in Argentina: a descriptive study

Abstract

Background Infectious skin disorders (ISDs) are commonly seen in pediatric emergency departments (PED), however the exact frequency is unknown. We provide an accurate evaluation of the incidence and characteristics of ISDs diagnosed in a PED from Buenos Aires, Argentina, over a 1-year period.Methods Prospectively, descriptive study of children evaluated in the PED with ISDs during 2016. ISDs were analyzed on the basis of their incidence, patient demographics, seasonal variations, and hospitalization rates.Results ISDs were diagnosed in 1680 (67.9%) of the skin consultations (M/F: 1.1; mean age: 4.4 AE 3.7 years). Bacterial infections were observed in 932 (55.5%) cases. Viral infections were seen in 604 patients (35.9%). Fungal and parasite skin infections were diagnosed in 33 (2%) and 111 (6.6%) children, respectively. The most frequent ISDs according to the etiology group were impetigo 377 (22.4%), varicella 397 (23.6%), tinea capitis 10 (0.6%), and scabies 109 (6.5%). A higher frequency of ISDs were reported during the summer (38.4%) and spring (38.2%) months. Bacterial skin infections were more frequent during the summer months, while viral skin infections were more prevalent during spring. Parasitic skin infections were diagnosed more frequently during the winter months. No differences were seen for mycotic skin infections. Hospitalization rate was 1% (all for bacterial skin infections).Conclusion Our data reveal the extremely high frequency of ISDs seen at the PED, underlying the need for closer cooperation between dermatologists and pediatricians.

Diagnostic concordance between pediatric emergency department physicians and dermatologists in a tertiary hospital in Mexico

“…Of these, 3 conditions-urticaria, atopic dermatitis, and contact dermatitis-represented 31% of all consultations. This finding differs from other studies, where infections represented 34% to 67.9% 4,9,11,13,14 of dermatologic consultations in ED.…”

“…4 When we analyzed specific diagnoses, viral skin infections were the most frequent condition, similar to that reported in the literature 1,4,11 ; however, other authors have reported bacteria as the most common infection, specifically streptococcal and staphylococcal infections. 9,13 Although there are some differences among these studies, most agree that ISD and infections are the most common diagnoses seen at the ED. 1,4,9,11 In our study, these two groups represent more than 75% of all consultations.…”

Common misdiagnoses and prevalence of dermatological disorders at a pediatric tertiary care center

“…This result corresponds with a trend found in another university hospital in Central Thailand, 3 as well as in school children in Hong Kong 6 in which there was a shift away from cutaneous infection to eczematous disease for being the most prevalent pediatric skin disease. However, this pattern differs from that found in some countries, such as India, 7 Napal, 8 Turkey, 9 and Argentina 10 where infectious cutaneous diseases are still predominant.…”

Pediatric cutaneous emergencies and their outcome: Study from a tertiary care center in South India

“…Viral infections were most common in the West[817] similar to ours, but bacterial infections were common in India[4] and Argentina. [18] The pattern of viral infections seen in our study reflects the general Indian pattern. Hand foot and mouth disease was the most common viral infection in ours but unreported from the West,[2] where varicella was the commonest reported exanthem.…”