Epidemiological Profile of Dermatological Conditions at Aristide Le Dantec Hospital, Dakar

Abstract

In health centres, it is estimated that 30% of patients consult due to a dermatological problem. The Study aims to evaluate the epidemiological, clinical, and outcome profile of dermatological conditions in patients attending a dermatology department in Senegal. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted over six months from April 1 to September 30, 2017, in the dermatology department of Aristide Le Dantec Hospital in Dakar. The study included all consecutive new patients attending outpatient consultations or requiring hospitalisation during the study period, regardless of age, sex, or origin, who consented to participate. During the study period, a total of 3,706 patients attended the dermatology department, of whom 1,012 were included, representing 27.3% of all consultations. The study population comprised 612 women and 400 men (sex ratio = 0.65). The mean age was 36 years (range: 2 days–93 years), with 24% aged 0–20 years and 50% between 21 and 50 years. Inflammatory dermatoses were the most frequent (41.5%), followed by infectious dermatoses (26.87%). Eczema was the predominant condition, accounting for 45.41% of inflammatory dermatoses and 18.57% of all cases. Among infectious dermatoses, fungal infections were most common (39.40%), followed by bacterial infections. Overall, these results emphasise the need for improved epidemiological surveillance and better allocation of healthcare resources to dermatology services, in order to adapt care strategies to the evolving pattern of skin diseases in tropical environments.