Polat Muhterem, Yalçin Başak, Calişkan Dilek, Alli Nuran
1st Dermatology Clinic, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Gerontology. 2009;55(1):58-63. doi: 10.1159/000129683. Epub 2008 Apr 30.
The geriatric population is growing continuously, therefore more aged patients are being admitted to dermatology clinics. Successful management of these patients requires a thorough understanding of the features of geriatric patients and prevalence of skin diseases in this group.
Patients aged 65 years and older admitted to the dermatology outpatient clinic over a 3-month period were included. Patients aged between 65 and 74 years were included in group I, and patients older than 74 years were included in group II. Demographic features of the patients were noted. Total dermatological examination was performed in each patient. Fifteen days after the first visit, the patients were phoned up to obtain information about their level of satisfaction regarding the treatments and were invited to the clinic for reexamination where their improvement levels were scored.
A total of 209 patients were included in this study. The most common complaints were in the chronic eczema-dermatitis group. However, the most commonly detected disorders were in the chronic sun exposure group. Some severe cutaneous and noncutaneous diseases were detected incidentally at total dermatological examination. Treatment satisfaction scores of patients and improvement scores of doctor had a significantly good correlation.
The study results indicated that in the management of elderly patients, social and physical evaluation should be carried out and treatment must be recommended accordingly. In all elderly patients, total dermatological examination must be performed because it may reveal some severe cutaneous or underlying noncutaneous diseases.
老年人口持续增长，因此有更多老年患者前往皮肤科门诊就诊。成功管理这些患者需要全面了解老年患者的特征以及该群体中皮肤病的患病率。
纳入在3个月期间前往皮肤科门诊就诊的65岁及以上患者。65至74岁的患者纳入第一组，74岁以上的患者纳入第二组。记录患者的人口统计学特征。对每位患者进行全面的皮肤科检查。首次就诊15天后，给患者打电话以获取他们对治疗满意度的信息，并邀请他们到诊所进行复查，对其改善程度进行评分。
本研究共纳入209例患者。最常见的主诉为慢性湿疹 - 皮炎组。然而，最常检测到的疾病为慢性日晒组。在全面的皮肤科检查中偶然发现了一些严重的皮肤和非皮肤疾病。患者的治疗满意度评分与医生的改善评分具有显著的良好相关性。
研究结果表明，在老年患者的管理中，应进行社会和身体评估，并据此推荐治疗方案。对于所有老年患者，必须进行全面的皮肤科检查，因为这可能会发现一些严重的皮肤或潜在的非皮肤疾病。
