Background: Skin diseases affect 21ââ?¬â??87 % of children in developing countries in Africa. However, the spectrum\nof the skin diseases varies from region to region due to several factors such as genetics, socioeconomic and\nenvironmental. The aim of this study was to determine the spectrum of childhood skin diseases in Tanzania.\nMethods: We conducted a prospective hospital- based cross-sectional study between September 2012 and\nAugust 2013 at a tertiary referral dermatology clinic. Children younger than 14 years presenting with new skin\nconditions were recruited. Diagnosis was mainly done clinically, but if the diagnosis was not clinically clear,\nfurther investigations were undertaken accordingly.\nResults: A total of 340 patients were recruited of which 56 (16.5 %) had more than one skin condition. Both\ngenders were equally affected. Infections and infestations accounted for the majority (43.5 %, n = 177) of the skin\nconditions followed by eczematous dermatitis (28.5 %, n = 116) and pigmentary disorders (7.4 %, n = 30). Among\nthe 152 infectious skin diseases, fungal infections predominated (50.7 %, n = 77) in the infectious group followed\nby bacterial (29.6 %, n = 45), and viral (19.7 %, n = 30).\nConclusions: Skin infections are still the main cause of dermatological consultations in children although with a\nreduced prevalence. Inflammatory skin conditions are increasing and can be attributed to improved\nsocioeconomic status and HIV pandemic.
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