Complete dermatological examination in the elderly: an exploratory study from an outpatient clinic in Turkey

The geriatric population is growing continuously, therefore more aged patients are being admitted to dermatology clinics. Successful management of these patients requires a thorough understanding of the features of geriatric patients and prevalence of skin diseases in this group.

Patients aged 65 years and older admitted to the dermatology outpatient clinic over a 3-month period were included. Patients aged between 65 and 74 years were included in group I, and patients older than 74 years were included in group II. Demographic features of the patients were noted. Total dermatological examination was performed in each patient. Fifteen days after the first visit, the patients were phoned up to obtain information about their level of satisfaction regarding the treatments and were invited to the clinic for reexamination where their improvement levels were scored.

A total of 209 patients were included in this study. The most common complaints were in the chronic eczema-dermatitis group. However, the most commonly detected disorders were in the chronic sun exposure group. Some severe cutaneous and noncutaneous diseases were detected incidentally at total dermatological examination. Treatment satisfaction scores of patients and improvement scores of doctor had a significantly good correlation.

The study results indicated that in the management of elderly patients, social and physical evaluation should be carried out and treatment must be recommended accordingly. In all elderly patients, total dermatological examination must be performed because it may reveal some severe cutaneous or underlying noncutaneous diseases.