Dermatological Emergencies of a University Hospital Center of Rabat, Morocco

Abstract

Introduction: Dermatological emergency is defined as any acute dermatological disorder that develops and worsens in less than 5 days.  Aims of Study: The aim of our study is to identify the main dermatological emergencies consultations, establish a demographic and clinical profile of the reasons for dermatological consultations, and review the various diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties encountered by interns and/or residents. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective study in the dermatology department of the Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat between June 2022, and May2023. Excel and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS Inc., version 15.0 for Windows) were used for data entry andanalysis. Results: 1,321 urgent dermatology consultations were received during this period. The sex ratio was 0.89, and the average age was 45.6 years (01months-95years). The reasons for consultation were: infectious pathologies in 47% (Erysipelas in the lead), inflammatory pathologies in 24%, toxidermia in 7%, autoimmune bullous dermatosis in 4%, tumor pathologies in 3%, and others in 15% of cases. 79 cases (5,9%) were hospitalized as emergencies and while the others (94,1%) only needed an ambulatory care. Conclusion: The pathologies encountered in dermatological emergencies are very diverse dominated by infectious diseases. However, the majority of patients do not require an emergency consultation.