Pattern of skin diseases among pilgrims during Hajj season in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Background Skin diseases among pilgrims are considered to be one of the pos sible health problems in our area. Data supporting this observation are sca nty and sparse. The aim of this study was to report the most common skin di seases seen in a 15-day period. Methods We retrospectively collected all new cases of skin diseases diagnos ed during a 15-day period at King Faisal Hospital, the nearest general medi cal center to Mina. Pilgrims gather at Mina (which harbors more than two mi llion pilgrims every year) to perform their Hall. Results During the Hajj season in 1998, 731 new patients were seen; 63.3% w ere men and 36.7% were women. Of these cases, Saudi citizens represented 42 .5% of the total patients. The peak age group ranged from 20 to 39 years. T he incidence in Saudi patients was more than that in other nationalities. D ermatitis of various etiologies (23.6%) was found to be the most common ski n disease. Pyoderma was found to be more common in Saudis and Asians than i n Arabs, whereas Arabs suffered from intertrigo much more than Asians and S audis. Conclusions A high incidence of skin diseases such as pyoderma and intertri go among pilgrims of such a large congregation is understandable. Investiga ting these skin infections is worthwhile because they are preventable, easi ly diagnosed, and are curable in the majority of patients.