Division of Dermatology, National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore city, 119074, Singapore.
Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore city, Singapore.
BMC Prim Care. 2024 Aug 9;25(1):290. doi: 10.1186/s12875-024-02525-y.
Little is known about the prevalence of dermatoses in "skin-well" geriatric Singaporeans. We aim to identify the prevalence of dermatoses and their associations within the geriatric population in Singapore, and to understand the distribution of dermatological encounters presenting to primary care physicians, and the resultant referral behaviour.
A joint quantitative-qualitative study was performed across 8 months. Patients aged 65 years and above who visited a local polyclinic for management of non-dermatological chronic diseases were recruited. They were administered questionnaires, and underwent full skin examinations. Online surveys were disseminated to polyclinic physicians under the same healthcare cluster.
201 patients and 53 physicians were recruited. The most common dermatoses identified in patients were benign tumours and cysts (97.5%), and asteatosis (81.6%). For every 1-year increase in age, the odds of having asteatosis increased by 13.5% (95% CI 3.4-24.7%, p = 0.008), and urticarial disorders by 14.6% (95% CI 0.3-30.9%, p = 0.045). Patients who used any form of topical preparations on a daily basis had higher odds of having eczema and inflammatory dermatoses (OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.38 to 4.56, p = 0.003). Physicians reported dermatological conditions involving 20% of all clinical encounters. Eczema represented the most commonly reported dermatosis within the first visit. 50% of dermatology referrals were done solely at the patient's own request.
The prevalence of dermatoses in the elderly in Singapore is high, especially asteatosis. Prompt recognition by the primary healthcare provider potentially prevents future morbidity. Outreach education for both primary care physicians and the general public will be key.
National Healthcare group (NHG) Domain Specific Review Board (DSRB), Singapore, under Trial Registration Number 2020/00239, dated 11 August 2020.
对于“皮肤健康”的新加坡老年人群体中皮肤病的患病率，我们知之甚少。本研究旨在确定新加坡老年人群体中皮肤病的患病率及其相关性，并了解初级保健医生接诊的皮肤科就诊情况及其转诊行为。
本研究为一项历时 8 个月的定量-定性联合研究。我们招募了在当地一家综合诊疗所就诊以治疗非皮肤性慢性疾病的 65 岁及以上的患者。他们接受了问卷调查和全面的皮肤检查。我们还向同一医疗保健集群下的综合诊疗所医生发放了在线调查。
共招募了 201 名患者和 53 名医生。在患者中最常见的皮肤病是良性肿瘤和囊肿（97.5%）和皮肤干燥（81.6%）。每增加 1 岁，皮肤干燥的几率增加 13.5%（95%CI 3.4-24.7%，p=0.008），荨麻疹性疾病增加 14.6%（95%CI 0.3-30.9%，p=0.045）。每天使用任何形式的局部制剂的患者发生湿疹和炎症性皮肤病的几率更高（OR 2.51，95%CI 1.38-4.56，p=0.003）。医生报告的皮肤科疾病占所有临床就诊的 20%。湿疹是首次就诊时最常报告的皮肤病。50%的皮肤科转诊是仅由患者自行要求进行的。
新加坡老年人的皮肤病患病率较高，尤其是皮肤干燥。初级保健提供者的及时识别可能会预防未来的发病。对初级保健医生和公众进行推广教育将是关键。
新加坡国家医疗保健集团（NHG）特定领域审查委员会（DSRB），注册号 2020/00239，日期 2020 年 8 月 11 日。
