Infectious dermatological diseases findings of the wrestlers according to regions

Aim: Dermatologic diseases are commonly found in people engaged in contact sports. Particularly wrestlers can easily contract skin infections. The aim of this study is to reveal the incidence of infectious skin diseases engaged in wrestling athletes living in different climate regions. Material and Methods: Three hundred nineteen volunteer who actively wrestle in different climate regions of Turkey participated to the research. All of the athletes were asked the questions in the survey of “Personal History and Dermatological Examination Findings of Athlete”. The findings and diagnoses of each wrestler were then recorded and evaluated. Results: Dermatological diseases were observed in 195 (61.12%) Turkish wrestlers, 84 (26.33%) in the eastern region, 43 (13.47%) in the inland region and 68 (21.32%) in the coastal region. These diseases were 118 (36.99%) fungal, 49 (15.36) bacterial and 28 (8.77%) viral, respectively. It was found that infectious dermatological diseases were observed more frequently in the eastern and coastal regions than inland region and this difference was statistically significant. (P = 0.045). Conclusion: In this study which is the first study conducted on this issue in sports literature, various infectious dermatological diseases were detected in wrestlers living in different climate regions in Turkey and it was determined that these diseases differ by climate regions.