A retrospective study to describe the clinical pattern of dermatologic lesions from the pediatric emergency department: our experience from a tertiary care hospital in Turkey.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Dermatologic lesions that occur primarily or are secondary to disease are among the most common reasons for referral to the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED). This study aims to reveal the clinical features, diagnostic distribution, and management of patients who presented to the PED with dermatologic lesions.

Methods: The study was a retrospective cross-sectional study involving children aged 0-18 years who presented to Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, PED, in 2018 with dermatologic lesions. The SPSS-20 program was used for data analysis.

Results: A total of 1590 patients, 57.8% (919) male, were included in the study. The median age was 75 (minimum: 4 days; maximum: 17 years, 11 months) months. The frequency of dermatologic lesions was 4.33% (433/10,000). Allergic and infectious dermatologic lesions, which are the two most common skin lesions in all age groups, were seen in 46.2% (735) and 30.5% (485) (patients, respectively. Urticaria (n = 588, 37%) was the most common in allergic rashes, and viral rashes (n = 162, 10.2%) were the most common in infectious rashes. Ninety-four percent (1495) of the patients were discharged from the PED. Two patients were hospitalized and followed up as dermatologic emergencies.

Conclusion: Urticaria and viral eruptions are common dermatologic lesions in our PED. Both conditions are easily recognized and treated by physicians. Most lesions do not require hospitalization. Dermatologic emergencies, although rare, should be well-known to physicians.