The Pattern of Dermatoses in a Skin Clinic in Calabar, Nigeria: A Baseline Study

Background: Despite several reports of the pattern of dermatoses in different geographical areas of Nigeria, information on skin diseases in South-South region of Nigeria is nonexistent perhaps because of the absence of a resident dermatologist. This prospective study was carried out over a period of 9 months by a visiting dermatologist at a novel skin clinic of the University Teaching Hospital in Calabar, the capital city of Cross River State located in South-South region of Nigeria. Methods: All the new cases of skin diagnosis made over this period were included. Diagnosis was made by a consultant dermatologist and confirmed by laboratory investigations and histology as at when required. Demographic and clinical data was collated and analyzed with descriptive statistics. The skin diseases seen were classified into 10 groups based on etiologic and morphologic criteria and a miscellaneous group. Results: A total of 252 patients were seen during this period and the ages ranged from less than one year to 69 years. There were 106 males and 146 females giving a male:female ratio of 1:1.4. The highest number of people in this series were between the range 20–29 years of age making 26% of the total. Infective skin disorders topped the list of the groupings with 32.5% followed by eczematous dermatitis with 25%. Fungal infections made up 67% of the infective dermatoses. Conclusions: The pattern of dermatoses presented here did not differ much from studies in other geographical parts of Nigeria and is an expression of poverty, ignorance, overcrowding and the humid climate. Attention is also drawn to the need for availability of dermatologists in every hospital setting.