Prevalence and determinants for xerosis cutis in the middle-aged and elderly population: A cross-sectional study

Determinants and the extent of dry skin in healthy middle-aged and elderly populations have not been well established.

We aimed to identify the prevalence and determinants for generalized dry skin (GDS) and localized dry skin (LDS) within a large prospective population-based cohort of middle-aged and elderly individuals of the Rotterdam Study.

Dry skin was physician-graded as none, localized, or generalized. For GDS and LDS, separate multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to search for association with participant characteristics, lifestyle factors, environmental factors, several comorbidities, and drug exposure.

Among the 5547 eligible participants, 60% had dry skin, of whom a fifth had GDS. Age, female sex, skin color, body mass index, outside temperature, eczema, and chemotherapy in the past were significant determinants for both GDS and LDS. Smoking, the use of statins and diuretics, poorer self-perceived health, and several dermatologic conditions increased the likelihood of having GDS only. Daily cream use was associated with less LDS.

Interobserver variability and residual confounding could have influenced our results. Because of our cross-sectional design, we could not infer causality.

We identified factors significantly associated with dry skin in a general middle-aged and elderly population, with health parameters more strongly associated with GDS.