Hospital admissions to a pediatric dermatology unit. A retrospective study.
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26326/2281-9649.31.4.2283How to Cite
Abstract
Background. Dermatological diseases are common in pediatric patients. The literature regarding hospital admission to Pediatric Dermatology (PD) hospitalization units is scarce. Our study aims to describe the epidemiological characteristics of the hospital admissions to a PD hospitalization unit at a tertiary hospital.
Methods. We performed a single-centre retrospective and descriptive study of the 127 admissions to our PD hospitalization unit from July 2004 to December 2017. We recorded the following items: gender, age, nationality, length of stay, the origin of the patient (emergency room, outpatient clinic or operating room), clinical diagnosis, need for skin biopsy during the stay at the hospital, complications and treatments.
Results. A total of 127 admissions were collected. The length of stay ranged from 1 to 14 days (mean duration of 4,54 days ± 2,25). 52% came from the outpatient clinic, 45,7% from the emergency room, and 2,4% from the operating room. The patients’ age ranged from 6 months to 16 years. The most common cause of hospital admission was atopic dermatitis (67,7%). Only 2 patients had complications during the admission. They received topical and systemic treatment in almost all cases.
Conclusion. We present a retrospective study describing the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the hospital admissions to a PD hospitalization unit. We highlight the role of the pediatric dermatologist because there is a growing demand for this sub-specialization.
