Professional paper

Morbidity trends in skin disorders in Croatia primary health care: 2005-2015.

Vesna Tabak ; Privatna specijalistička ordinacija obiteljske medicine "Dr. Vesna Tabak", Zagreb
Branka Živković Duvnjak ; Privatna specijalistička ordinacija obiteljske medicine "Dr. Branka Živković Duvnjak", Silba
Mladenka Vrcić Keglević ; Zaklada za razvoj obiteljske medicine, Zagreb

Abstract

Background & aims: The research results show that more than 10% of people come to primary health care (PHC) due to skin problems. There are almost no studies in Croatia investigating the skin problems seen in PHC, especially no long-term studies. The aim of this study was to investigate eleven-year trends in skin disorders registered in Croatian PHC. Methods: The study is observational, based on routinely collected data from PHC, yearly published in the Croatian Health Service Yearbooks, 2005 - 2015. The morbidity data registered were based on the International Classification of Disease, version X, for skin disorders labelled as L00-L99. Recorded diagnoses are shown in the leading categories: skin infections (L00-L08), dermatitis, eczema and urticaria (L20-L30, L50), and all other skin diseases in one category. Morbidity was registered according to the patient’s age group: 0-6 years, 7-19 years, 20-64 years and 65+ years. Results: From the total number of diagnoses registered in PHC, 5.3% belong to the skin diagnoses. While the total number of diagnoses increased by 27%, the number of skin diagnoses increased by 25%. The most frequent are the diagnoses of dermatitis, eczema and urticaria (more than 50%), then infections and other skin diseases. But the most prominent increase is observed in the group of other skin diseases and less in the group of infections. Skin diseases are more frequent in the elderly population and pre-school children, in elderly with high increase, in pre-school children infections with decrease. Conclusion: Skin disorders occupy 5% of the total number of diagnoses registered in Croatian PHC, mostly dermatitis, eczema and urticaria and mostly among elderly and pre-school children. The trends are increasing, except infections in pre-school children.

Keywords

skin disorders; primary health care; eleven-year trends; Croatia

Hrčak ID:

208259

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/208259

Publication date:

6.11.2018.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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