PATTERN OF GERIATRIC DERMATOSES IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL - A PROSPECTIVE CROSS – SECTIONAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Objective: Geriatric dermatosis is an emerging branch in the field of dermatology to know about the physiological and pathological changes related to ageing. This study was done to find out the pattern of distribution of geriatric dermatosis among elderly patients in a given population. This is a prospective cross sectional Materials And Methods: observational study carried out on 100 consecutive patients aged above 65 years in the department of Dermato Venereo Leprology, Kanyakumari Government Medical College Hospital, Nagercoil after fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Out of 100 patients studied, with male to female ratio of 4:1, xerosis was the commonest p Results: hysiological changes noted followed by wrinkling. Infective dermatosis followed by allergic contact dermatitis were the commonest pathological conditions observed in our study. A thorough knowledge about the pattern of distributio Conclusion: n of geriatric dermatosis in a selected population gives some insight regarding the epidemiology as well as gender distribution of various dermatosis among that area. This helps in the better allocation of resources, distribution of material, manpower and help the healthcare providers to serve the needy in better way