Incidence of childhood dermatosis in India.

The incidence ofdermatologic conditions in the pediatric age group presents a pattern that often differs from that in adults; this is important for epidemiologic studies and population-based analysis. This clinical study was carried out in children up to age 14 in the western part of India. Dermatologic conditions were tabulated based on the etiology, incidence, age, and sex distribution, as well as seasonal variations, and the results were analyzed. There were a total of 390 boys and 310 girls. The majority of skin conditions in newborns are transient. The most common dermatoses found were of infectious etiology (38.43%) in which impetigo (11.13%) and pyoderma (8.9%) were the most common. In infectious etiology, incidence of scabies was 5.32%. Viral warts were the most common viral infections followed by molluscum contagiosum. Incidence of eczema, atopic dermatitis, and sweat gland disorders were 6.64%, 0.83%, and 8.86%, respectively. The study shows various unique features of tropical pediatric dermatology in a developing country, such as high frequency of infections and infectious, nutritional, and environmentally associated disorders. Many of these dermatoses can be controlled by proper environmental sanitation, improving nutrition, awareness among parents and children, and preventing overcrowding.