The Frequency of Skin Lesions in Guilan Province, Iran

Abstract

Skin tumors as one of the patient's most concerning health issues have a varied spectrum, some of which can be fatal. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of various skin lesions and the associated risk factors among patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted from 2016 to 2021 on 559 skin lesions diagnosed by dermatology specialists. Demographical and clinical data and various skin lesions (skin malformations, benign, premalignant, and malignant tumors) were recorded and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 21 based on a significance level < .05. The findings indicated an age-dependent increase in the prevalence of skin lesions. Females had a higher frequency of benign tumors, whereas males represented a higher rate of malignant tumors. About 53%, 6.8%, and 40.1% of skin lesions were benign, premalignant, and malignant tumors, respectively. Among detected tumors, seborrheic keratosis, actinic keratosis, and basal cell carcinoma were the most prevalent as benign, premalignant, and malignant tumors, respectively. The high level of diagnostic accuracy among clinical and histopathological findings illustrated a significant agreement (p < .05). Our findings showed that malignant skin tumors were more prevalent in males and in patients with an upper age, which suggests more consideration for better preventive policies in these populations.