Pattern of skin diseases in a hospital in Southwestern Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the type of skin diseases in Najran General Hospital as a rough pattern of skin diseases in Najran region and to compare this with other similar regional studies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

METHODS: A retrospective 12 months study of the common skin dermatoses, which were recorded in Najran General Hospital, Najran, KSA, within the period December 2000 to December 2001.

RESULTS: We recorded 1192 new patients within the study period, 37% had one of the dermatitis or eczema group of diseases, 12.75% had acne, 7% had vitiligo, 5.9% had viral infections 5.6% had superficial mycoses, 5% had bacterial infections, 1.51% had psoriasis and only 1.1% had lichen planus. By comparison, the incidence of dermatitis or eczema, acne and vitiligo was slightly higher in Najran compared to other regions such as Asir, Hail, Al-Jouf and Jeddah, KSA owing, probably, to the genetic predilection of Najran community to these disorders. Najran was lower than others in psoriasis and in lichen planus, but in minimal deviations. However, Najran was comparable to others in infective diseases including viral warts, superficial mycoses and bacterial infections.

CONCLUSION: This comparison indicates that there were no large differences between Najran and other compared regions of KSA and this region is present in the heart of health development.