Lesional Diagnostic Approach of Common Dermatoses in Children at the University Clinics of Kinshasa - Democratic Republic of Congo

Context and objectives: Several authors approach epidemiological studies on dermatoses using an etiological diagnostic approach; the Willaniste school being mostly reserved for learners of dermatology and/or non-dermatologist doctors. The objective of this study is to determine the profile of dermatoses in children using exclusively the type of elementary lesion. Methods: In a retrospective, analytical and descriptive study, the data of children with dermatoses followed in the Dermatology Service of the University Clinics of Kinshasa between June 1, 2009 and December 31, were collected. The parameters of interest included epidemiological and clinical characteristics. Results: The hospital frequency of dermatoses in children (DC) according to the lesional diagnostic approach is 40.89% (818/1994). Their median age was 60 months (QEI 60-65.9) with a female predominance (55.7%, sex ratio of 1.25/1). There were more infants (30.6%). DC predominated in the dry season (54%). The entangled (21.02%) and vesicular (20.29%) lesional types were the most numerous, with ringworm of the scalp (31.9%) and atopic dermatitis (54.2%) respectively. The papular, erythematous, tumor and entangled lesion types were related to sex and age; pustular and tumor exclusively related to the season, in a statistically significant way (p ˂ 0.05). Taken as a whole, the most frequent dermatoses were atopic dermatitis (11%), prurigo strophulus (10.8%), impetigo (7.4%), Tinea capitis (6.7%) and scabiosis (6.4%). Conclusion: The importance of this work lies in the interest of taking into account the two approaches, lesional and etiological of dermatoses, for their global management and research studies. Indeed, the lesional approach, also important in the study of dermatoses, appears to our knowledge to be poor in references in the literature. Keywords: Dermatoses, Children, Lesional diagnostic approach, Kinshasa