Prevalence of skin diseases in rural areas of Assiut Governorate, Upper Egypt.

BACKGROUND Few epidemiological surveys have been carried out to determine the prevalence of skin diseases in the population of Egypt, particularly "Upper Egypt". So it is a pressing necessity to conduct such a study in rural Assiut. OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of various skin diseases in rural Assiut. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A cross-sectional community-based survey was followed. The survey included 8008 rural inhabitants of all ages and both sexes from a representative of three villages of Assiut Governorate, Upper Egypt. The data were collected through personal interview and examination at homes from December 1994 to December 1996. RESULTS They showed that 6961 (86.93%) of the studied population had one or more skin diseases. The group with parasitic skin infestations had the highest prevalence rate (27.40%) of the total sample, of which pediculosis capitis (19.37%) was the commonest. Eczema/dermatitis group had a rate of 19.82%, with pityriasis alba forming the majority (13.49%). Pigmentary disorders were 17.68%, followed by fungal skin infections (16.17%), then naevoid disorders (16.10%), hair and scalp disorders (12.07%), bacterial skin infections (10.10%), sweat gland disorders (6.16%), acne vulgaris (5.37%). Leprosy constituted 1.6/10,000. Other various skin disorders were recorded. CONCLUSIONS Infective-parasitic diseases were a major problem particularly among the younger age-group and those of low socio-economic status.