The Spectrum of Skin Disease Among Indian Children
January 2009
in “
Pediatric Dermatology
”
TLDR The most common skin problems in Indian children are infections and eczemas.
In a retrospective study at Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital in New Delhi, India, involving 30,078 children under 12 years of age, the most common skin diseases diagnosed were infections and infestations (47.15%), with bacterial infections (58.09% of infections) and scabies (21.54% of infections) being the most prevalent. Eczemas were the second most common group of conditions (26.95%). The study also noted that most diagnoses were made clinically, with only 2.6% requiring special diagnostic tests. The findings indicated a higher frequency of infections and infestations in India, possibly due to socio-economic factors, and highlighted the importance of dermatologic education for accurate diagnosis and management of these conditions.