Analysis of Pediatric Dermatology Inpatient Consultations in a Pediatric Teaching Hospital

The study conducted at a pediatric teaching hospital in Turkey from January 2004 to April 2010 analyzed 539 pediatric inpatient dermatology consultations. It found that the majority of patients were male (57.51%), with the general pediatrics department requesting the most consultations (37.5%). Dermatological diseases were the primary reason for hospitalization (32.1%), and allergic skin diseases were the most common dermatoses (47.1%), with atopic dermatitis and unclassified eczema being the most frequent conditions (each at 7.4%). Diagnoses were mostly made clinically (80.0%), with skin biopsies performed in 15.9% of cases. Treatments were predominantly local (50.8%), and only 1.9% of patients were referred to another department. The study highlighted the importance of dermatology consultations in the management of pediatric inpatients and the need for dermatology education among pediatricians. It also noted that skin biopsies were more common in inpatient settings than outpatient, and that topical treatments were the mainstay of therapy. Conditions such as Henoch-Schönlein vasculitis, drug eruptions, genodermatoses, and diseases of hair, nails, sebaceous, and eccrine glands were also observed, with nail dystrophy, acne, alopecia areata, and scarring alopecia being the most common diagnoses in these categories.