Pattern of skin diseases in a geriatric patient group in Taiwan: a 7-year survey from the outpatient clinic of a university medical center

Background: Geriatric health care has become a worldwide concern, but relatively few statistical studies are available about geriatric skin diseases. Moreover, no information exists regarding skin disorders among the elderly population in Taiwan that has become a geriatric country.

Objective: To determine the characteristic pattern and the prevalence of various skin disorders for the elderly who visited the National Taiwan University in the last 7 years.

Methods: Using a database from the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of the National Taiwan University Hospital, 1993-1999 file, we conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study by evaluating the age, proportion, and gender of each specific cutaneous disease category, chi(2) tests were used for analyzing statistical significance. The analysis supplied odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results: A total of 16,924 patients aged 65 years and older, which constituted 11% of the total patients seen at the Clinic of Dermatology from 1993 through 1999, were studied. The male to female ratio was 1.3 to 1. The most common cutaneous disorder in the elderly was dermatitis (58.7%), followed by fungal infections (38.0%), pruritus (14.2%), benign tumors (12.8%), and viral infections (12.3%). Cutaneous malignant tumors were found in 2.1%. Basal cell carcinoma occurred in 29.8%, actinic keratosis in 22.4%, Bowen's disease in 13.3% and squamous cell carcinoma 13.3%. Interestingly, our cases of extramammary Paget's disease showed a male predominance. Most melanomas were acral lentiginous melanoma located on the soles. The prevalence of common diseases in elderly patients compared with those outpatients of less than 65 years showed a 3-fold increased risk for pruritus. Moreover, the pattern of geriatric skin diseases in Taiwan was significantly different from Western countries.

Conclusion: The prevalence of skin diseases in elderly patients emphasizes the importance of health education in geriatric people in Taiwan concerning appropriate use of emollients, proper foot care, sun protection and early detection of skin cancers.