Pattern of infantile skin problems in a tertiary care hospital

Introduction: Skin diseases are a major health problem in children, which is associated with significant  morbidity. Its prevalence ranges from 21% to 37% in various parts of Bangladesh in school-based study.  The present study was conducted to know the prevalence and pattern of infantile skin problems. Materials  and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted OPD in a tertiary care hospital in Dhaka between July 2014 to June 2015. A total of 212 children between 0 to 12 months were examined for diseases of the skin and socio-demography. Data were coded and analyzed through SPSS 26 version. Results: There were 75 female infants (35%) and 137 male infants (65%). Seborrheic dermatitis was more common problem and nearly half (47.5%) of all infants and remaining half was other six skin conditions. In case of gender variation both sexes suffered mostly from seborrheic dermatitis. However, more females (n-8) suffered from dermatophyte infection and impetigo than male (n-4). Total 11 types of occupations were identified. Among them most common (29%) was private service and business was the 2nd common father’s occupation. Fathers living in abroad were 12%. Prevalence of seborrheic dermatitis was less (9%), whose parents were educated more than 12 years and prevalence was more (40.5%) who were educated less than 12 years (X2 -8.74, df-2, P-0.05). Conclusion: Findings of present study indicates a shift in prevalence of skin diseases from infectious to noninfectious one. A multicenter study with large sample is required to investigate whether this trend is common in Bangladesh.