Dermatological diseases in immigrants with Fitzpatrick skin types 5-6 evaluated in a tertiary health center

• Main Authors: Elif Afacan Yıldırım (Author), Yusuf Can Edek (Author), Esra Adışen (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Galenos Publishing House, 2022-12-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2651-5164; 10.4274/turkderm.galenos.2022.82084
• Keywords: skin phototypes; skin pigmentation; migrants; skin diseases; dermatology; Dermatology; RL1-803; Diseases of the genitourinary system. Urology; RC870-923
• Source: Turkderm Turkish Archives of Dermatology and Venereology, Vol 56, Iss 4, Pp 172-177 (2022)

Background and Design: Dermatologists have limited experience with dermatological diseases seen in immigrants with Fitzpatrick skin types 5-6 in Turkey, which can cause difficulties in diagnosis. This study aimed to examine the clinical and demographic characteristics of this patient population evaluated in a tertiary health center. Materials and Methods: All patients with Fitzpatrick skin types 5-6 who applied to our dermatology outpatient clinic between June 1, 2018, and July 15, 2021, were included in this single-center, retrospective study. All data were obtained from the electronic database. Results: The study included 65 patients with Fitzpatrick skin types 5-6 from 14 countries. Overall, 37 of the patients were female and 28 were male, and the mean age was 30.7+-15.54 years. The patients were most commonly from East Africa (76.9%), and 38 (58.5%) patients were from Somalia. The most common diagnoses were acne (21.5%), infections (20.0%), dermatitis (12.3%), pigmentation disorders (9.2%), and xerosis cutis (9.2%). Biopsy was taken from 6 (9.2%) patients. As regards treatment, only topical treatment was recommended in 55.4%, topical and systemic treatment in 26.1%, systemic treatment in 4.6%, cryotherapy/surgical methods in 6.1%, and further examination in 7.7% of the cases. Conclusion: Acne, dermatitis, pigmentation disorders, and alopecia, which are common diagnoses in our study, are consistent with the diagnoses reported most frequently in patients with Fitzpatrick skin type 5-6. The finding that infections (20.0%) were among the most common diagnoses in our study may be related to the difficult living conditions of this patient population as they are immigrants. Thus, physicians should recognize common dermatological diseases in individuals with Fitzpatrick skin types 5-6. Our results may guide further studies in determining the medical needs of this patient group and planning dermatological care appropriately.