Prevalence of skin diseases in children 1 to 6 years old in the city of Bogota, Colombia

Elizabeth García, Evelyne Halpert, Elizabeth Borrero, Milciades Ibañez, Pablo Chaparro, Jorge Molina, Maritza Torres

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Skin diseases represent an important part of the morbidity among children and are possibly influenced by geographic, racial, social, cultural, and economic factors. Despite being so frequent around the world, skin diseases have not been important in developing strategies in public health. Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of skin diseases among the student population between 1 and 6 years of age in Bogotá, Colombia between March 2009 and June 2011. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was performed across a probabilistic, stratified, randomized sampling by proportional assignment (based on locality and type of institution) and was developed in schools in Bogotá, Colombia. Results: A total of 2437 children between 1 and 6 years of age were examined, and 42.8% (1035) presented a dermatologic disease. Papular urticaria was the most frequent (62.9%) (IC: 58.4%; 67.1%), followed by dermatitis/eczema (13.0%) (IC: 10.8%; 15.4%), and infectious diseases (12.3%) (IC: 9.7%; 15.3%). Conclusion: The research demonstrates a high prevalence of papular urticaria as a result of flea and mosquito bites and infectious diseases of the skin in the studied population. The dermatologic diseases found are easy to diagnose, respond to the proper treatment, and are preventable. However, the fact that many of the examined children likely had not visited the doctor for the detected pathology could indicate the lack of access to health services affecting this population.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number100484
JournalWorld Allergy Organization Journal
Volume13
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2020

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology
  • Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Prevalence of skin diseases in children 1 to 6 years old in the city of Bogota, Colombia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this