SHBC1212

A.H.Y.KUAN¹, Y.W.YEW², P.P.GEORGE³, X.ZHAO², S.H.TAN² 

Tan Tock Seng Hospital¹, National Skin Centre², National Healthcare Group HQ³

Skin disease is the eighth leading cause of non-fatal disease burden in Singapore. The aims of this study were to provide current data on the burden of skin diseases in Singaporean patients and identify differences in the pattern of skin diseases between elderly patients and the rest of the population.

This was a retrospective cohort study of 858,117 patients who attended the National Skin Centre between 2004 to 2018. Chi-square test for trend was used to analyze trends in the prevalence of each skin condition. Linear regression was used to analyze trends of YLD per 100,000 of each skin condition across years. Post-hoc Chi-square test was used to test for differences in YLD per 100,000 of each skin condition between age groups.

The three most prevalent dermatoses were dermatitis (33.3%), acne vulgaris (8.3%) and viral skin diseases (7.5%). From 2004 to 2018, there was an increase in YLD per 100,000 for dermatitis (p <0.0001), cellulitis (p <0.0001), alopecia areata (p <0.0001), urticaria (p <0.0001), and keratinocyte carcinomas (p = 0.0003). The YLD per 100,000 for psoriasis (p <0.0001), pyoderma (p = 0.0002), scabies (p = 0.0001), fungal skin diseases (p = 0.0307), acne vulgaris (p <0.0001) fell over the same period. Elderly patients were more likely to have keratinocyte carcinomas, scabies and decubitus ulcers (p <0.0001).

Skin disease in the elderly is unique compared to the general population. Future resource allocation should anticipate healthcare needs such as an ageing population and the evolving landscape of skin diseases.