The Prevalence of Skin Disease in the Geriatric Age Group

In 1987, John E. Adam and Susan Reilly conducted two studies on the prevalence of skin disease among the elderly in Ottawa, Canada. The first study with 326 new geriatric patients found that the most common skin complaints were actinic keratoses (24.9%), eczema (16.3%), benign tumors (13.8%), and malignant tumors (12.6%). The second study, involving 166 randomly selected geriatric patients, showed that 36% experienced itchiness, 49% had dry skin, and a majority had wrinkling and actinic damage, with men showing more severe damage. Hair loss was prevalent, with androgenic alopecia in 64% of women and 85% of men. Foot problems were also common. The studies indicated that actinic skin changes are frequent even in colder climates and that the percentage of skin conditions is relatively stable with age. The authors noted the difficulty in comparing studies due to various factors but emphasized the importance of their findings for healthcare planning for the elderly.