Clinicoepidemiological Study of Pattern of Pediatric Dermatoses in the Preadolescent Age Group in Goa

Abstract Introduction: The spectrum of illnesses that manifest as dermatological symptoms in children is broad. Pediatric dermatoses have a variety of clinical presentations, treatments, and prognoses, which set them apart from adult dermatoses. Aims: To study the pattern and dermatoscopic aspects of various dermatoses in preadolescent pediatric patients of Goa and correlate the same with similar studies done in other parts of our country and elsewhere across the world. Settings and Design: Descriptive study. Materials and Methods: This was an observational study conducted from October 2022 to March 2023 that included children aged <14 years who visited the hospital. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS software version 26. Results: We included a total of 305 preadolescent pediatric patients aged 0–14 years with dermatological complaints of which infectious dermatoses were 53.44% ( n = 163) and noninfectious dermatoses 46.55% ( n = 142). Out of them, 179 (58.7%) were male and 126 (41.3%) were female. Among all infectious dermatoses, fungal infection was found to be the most common. Conclusion: Worldwide, pediatric dermatoses are prevalent and cause a great deal of morbidity in children. Evaluation of pediatric dermatoses has been conducted across various parts of our country and the world. Given the paucity of comparable literature of pediatric dermatoses in Goa, our study is a meager attempt in this direction.