SKIN DISEASES IN ELDERLY SAUDIS - PATTERN AND ASSOCIATED SYSTEMIC DISORDERS AS SEEN IN 2 REFERRAL CENTERS IN THE NORTHERN FRONTIER OF SAUDI-ARABIA

Objectives: To examine the pattern of skin diseases in elderly Saudis (60 years and above) and determine the association of these diseases w ith any systemic disorder. Design: A 3 year retrospective study of rec ords of elderly Saudis with skin diseases, seen between January 1993 a nd December 1995. Setting: Skin clinics and wards of Arar Central Hosp ital, Arar and Turaif General Hospital, Turaif, Saudi Arabia. Subjects : One hundred and eighty-six males and 140 females, 60 years and above . Results: A total of 326 patients were seen with 341 dermatoses. Ecze ma/dermatitis was the most common disorder and it was seen in 21.1% of cases, followed by generalized pruritus without diagnostic skin lesio ns in 13.8% of cases. Viral infections accounted for 12.3% of cases. H erpes tester, complicated by severe tester associated pain was respons ible for most of the dermatological admissions in the elderly, Diabete s mellitus was the most frequent systemic disorder associated with ski n disorders (pyoderma and superficial fungal infection). Adverse cutan eous drug reactions and malignant skin cancers were seen in 1.5% and 0 .9% of cases respectively. Conclusions: Skin diseases in the elderly c ause a great morbidity. Health promotion and prevention will go a long way in reducing the burden of these disorders.