Comparison of Patients’ Diagnoses in a Dermatology Outpatient Clinic During the COVID-19 Pandemic Period and Pre-Pandemic Period
December 2020
in “
International Journal of Clinical Practice
”
androgenic alopecia acne eczematous dermatitis verruca melanocytic nevus urticaria psoriasis allergic contact dermatitis irritant contact dermatitis scabies lichen planus mycosis fungoides zona zoster recurrent aphthous stomatitis polymorph light eruption hair loss eczema warts moles hives shingles cold sores
TLDR The pandemic changed how often certain skin conditions were diagnosed.
The study compared dermatological diagnoses at an outpatient clinic during a 3-month COVID-19 pandemic period with the same period in the previous year, involving 1286 patients during the pandemic and 1403 patients pre-pandemic. Findings showed a significant increase in urticaria, psoriasis, allergic/irritant contact dermatitis, scabies, lichen planus, mycosis fungoides, zona zoster, recurrent aphthous stomatitis, and polymorph light eruption, while there was a decrease in acne, other eczematous dermatitis, verruca, androgenic alopecia, and melanocytic nevus diagnoses during the pandemic. The study concluded that the pandemic affected the frequency of certain dermatological conditions seen in the clinic.
