Common Dermatologic Diseases Among Students at a Tertiary Care Center in Lebanon

Unlabelled: There are few publications on prevalence of skin diseases in Lebanon.

Objectives: To find the prevalence of dermatologic diseases among students seen at the university health services of the American University of Beirut.

Patients & Methods: Medical charts were retrospectively reviewed. Chi-square tests were used to assess any significant difference between male and female prevalence amongst all types of skin diseases met; p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: 2903 visits were reviewed, ages ranged from 16 to 33 years old, of whom 1688 were females (58.15%) and 1215 were males (41.85%). Acne vulgaris was the most prevalent, followed by hair problems and contact dermatitis. Acne vulgaris and hair problems were significantly higher among females, and verruca among males (p < 0.001 in all).

Conclusions: Dermatologists must be aware of the psychological effects of skin diseases on their patients. Acne, hair problems, and contact dermatitis are the most common diseases seen. Patients seem to be more concerned about diseases that affect their image in society.