PREVALENCE AND SPECTRUM OF SKIN DISEASES IN PRIMARY SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN IN JOS NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF PLATEAU STATE

Abstract

Skin diseases are commonly observed in the general population of developing countries. They
are a major cause of morbidity in children and their complications can be severe. The
understanding of the epidemiology and health importance of skin diseases remain largely
unknown, however determination of such data will be important for developing health strategies
for their prevention and treatment. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and
spectrum of skin diseases in school aged children in Jos North LGA of Plateau State. It also aims
at determining possible predisposing factors to acquiring skin diseases and the quality of life of
children affected by these diseases. The subjects consisted of children aged 6 to 12 years. Pupils
from public and private schools from 5 out of the 20 wards in Jos North LGA were recruited for
the study. Following endorsement of written informed consent, the eligible study subjects were
interviewed and then examined clinically. Information and dermatologic findings were recorded
for each respondent and subsequently transferred into a computer using software SPSS versions
17.0 and then analyzed at the end of the study. Of a total of 390 subjects recruited in this study,
141 (36.2%) had skin diseases. There were 28 different types of skin diseases observed in the
affected children, with more than a quarter of them (28.4%) having more than a single skin
disease. Infectious skin diseases accounted for the largest group seen (46.7%) followed by
dermatitis (25.3%). Overall the commonest diseases seen were tinea (11.3%), seborrheic
dermatitis (4.9%), furuncles(3.3%), folliculitis (2.8%), acne(2.8%), scars(2.8%), papular
urticaria(2.6%), postinflammatory hyperpigmentation(2.6%), atopic dermatitis(2.3%) and
alopecia(1.3%). Factors associated with having skin diseases were; older age(p=0.014 ), Islamic
faith (p=0.032), low socioeconomic status (p=0.001) and attending a public school (p=0.000).
Daily bathing (p=0.003) and daily changing of underwears (p=0.022) were hygienic practices
associated with lower rates of skin diseases. Indices of crowding such as large number of persons
in household (p=0.003), increased number of children in household (p=0.001) and persons
sleeping in child’s bedroom (p=0.040) correlated positively with having skin diseases. Knowing
an individual with skin disease was positively related (p=0.022) to having skin disease and
among those with skin diseases, family members were the most frequently known persons with
skin diseases (43.3%), this was however not statistically significant. Pupils who were of normal
nutritional status had the least risk of acquiring skin diseases, while stunted children had
increased risk of having skin diseases (p=0.021). Most (82.3%) of the pupils with skin diseases
had impairment in their quality of life, although a majority of these had small effects (61.7%).
Atopic dermatitis was the skin disease with the highest affectation in quality of life (p= 0.014).
Females had higher mean scores in CDQLI than males generally, though this was not significant
(p=0.197). Children of more than 9 years of age had significantly higher scores in the CLDQI
than the other age groups (p=0.044). There were a variety of attitude towards those with skin
diseases, with the commonest being avoidance (38%). Diseases of the skin are a common cause
of morbidity in school aged children and they suffer from a wide variety of them. With evidence
of substantial effects on the quality of life of the affected children, many of the evident
coexistent factors such as low socioeconomic status, crowding, poor hygienic practices and
malnutrition should be improved upon to prevent their occurrences.

PREVALENCE AND SPECTRUM OF SKIN DISEASES IN PRIMARY SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN IN JOS NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF PLATEAU STATE