Emergency consultations in pediatric dermatology at a children's hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Dermatology is commonly considered a non-urgent and outpatient-centered specialty. Limited studies have evaluated skin diseases presented to pediatric emergency departments (PEDs). This study aims to identify the most common pediatric dermatological conditions that result in an emergency department visit between August 2018 and August 2023 at a large children's hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 183 patients were included. Most patients were 2 years old and younger [87 (47.5%)]. Gender was almost equally distributed, with 51.4% of the population being female. Infectious and inflammatory disorders were the most commonly encountered conditions, accounting for 35.5% and 33.9%, respectively. The top three diagnoses were atopic dermatitis (12.02%), impetigo (6.56%), and infantile hemangioma (6.01%). Understanding the variety of skin disorders presented to pediatric emergency departments can positively enhance patient care in dermatology clinics and promote preventative public health initiatives, thus minimizing emergency department visits.