Doenças dermatológicas diagnosticadas em idosos atendidos em um serviço de dermatologia de um hospital universitário no Sul do Brasil

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Diagnostic investigation, treatment and prevention of geriatric dermatological diseases are extremely important so that the elderly also have a good quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dermatological, sex and race diagnoses and the phototype, photodian and photoprotection items in the elderly included in the study. METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study that included the elderly patients at first consultation at the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of the São Lucas Hospital of PUCRS, from March to November 2017. Data on dermatological diagnosis, sex, race, profession, phototype, and photoprotection were included in the research instrument. The descriptive analysis of the quantitative variables was performed through measures of central trends and dispersion. Categorical variables were demonstrated using absolute and relative frequencies. The comparison between the quantitative variables was performed with Student's t-test. For categorical variables, the Pearson Chi-square test or Fischer's extract was used. The research began after approval by the Ethics and Research Committee and the elderly entered the study after signing the Term of Free and Informed Consent. RESULTS: Included in the study were 116 elderly patients, seen at the first consultation at the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of the São Lucas Hospital of PUCRS. The mean age was 71 ± 7.5 years (range 60 to 99 years). The majority of females (52.6%) and high white prevalence (95.5%). More often, the elderly were classified as phototype two (50%), and three (37.9%), and the majority did not present photodynamics (81.9%). The main dermatoses were basal cell carcinoma (28.4%), being the most common carcinoma of the skin, having as main cause the exposure to the sun and more frequently in the lower phototypes (1 and 2) (35%). Following the actinic keratosis (21.3%), also in the phototypes (1 and 2) and related to photoexposure. Seborrheic keratosis (25.9%), benign nevus more diagnosed in the elderly, in the intermediate phototypes (3 and 4) (32.7%). CONCLUSION: The skin diseases with the highest number of diagnoses in the elderly of the research are degenerative, some malignant and others of the age, non infectious or allergic. Based on the data found, we concluded that prevention in skin care can give the elderly a better quality of life.