An epidemiological study of pityriasis rosea in the Eastern Anatolia

The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiological features of pityriasis rosea (PR) in the Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. Three hundred ninety-one patients (214 females, 177 males) with PR seen during the years 1992-1995 were analyzed for annual incidence among dermatologic outpatients, sex, age, and distribution by month and year. The average annual incidence was 0.75 per 100 dermatologic patients. PR was reported to be slightly more common in women by margin of 1.2:1.0. Eighty-seven percent of the cases were between the ages of 10 and 39 years, with a peak in the 20-29 age group. The incidence of the disease was much higher in the rainy and snowy months. No declining incidence was observed over the years. Changes in incidence from year to year, though not great, were statistically significant.