Impact of Coronavirus in a Dermatology Outpatient Clinic: A Single-Center Retrospective Study

The retrospective study conducted at a dermatology outpatient clinic in Turkey found that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the pattern of dermatological conditions presented. There was a decrease in overall patient visits from 8,434 in 2019 to 7,164 in 2020. Specific conditions such as psoriasis vulgaris, atopic dermatitis, benign neoplasias and hyperplasias, polymorphic light eruption, urticaria, pyoderma, tinea unguium, and telogen effluvium saw a decrease in cases. In contrast, there was an increase in dermatitis, xerosis cutis, sunburn, scabies, and insect bites. No change was observed in herpes simplex/zoster or acne vulgaris. Notably, there was a significant reduction in cases of tinea unguium from 1,028 to 645 (p=0.000) and telogen effluvium from 294 to 180 (p=0.000), and a significant increase in scabies from 83 to 193 (p=0.000) and leishmaniasis from 27 to 107 (p=0.000). The study highlights the pandemic's impact on dermatological disease incidence and underscores the need for adapting clinical approaches accordingly. However, the study's limitations include its retrospective, single-center nature and the inability to determine if symptoms started before or during the pandemic. Ethics approval was obtained, and informed consent was provided by participants.