Prevalence and associated factors of skin diseases in aged nursing home residents: a multicentre prevalence study

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of skin diseases in aged nursing home residents and to explore possible associations with demographic and medical characteristics. Design: Descriptive multicentre prevalence study. Setting and participants: The study was conducted in a random sample of ten institutional long-term care facilities in the federal state of Berlin, Germany. In total, n=223 residents were included. Results: In total, 60 dermatological diseases were diagnosed. The most frequently diagnosed skin disease was xerosis cutis (99.1%, 95% CI 97.7% to 100.0%) followed by tinea ungium (62.3%, 95% CI 56.0% to 69.1%) and seborrheic keratosis (56.5%, 95% CI 50.2% to 63.0%). Only few bivariate associations have been detected between skin diseases and demographic and medical characteristics. Conclusion: Study results indicate that almost every resident living in residential care has at least one dermatological diagnosis. Dermatological findings range from highly prevalent xerosis and cutaneous infection up to skin cancer. Not all conditions require immediate dermatological treatment and can be managed by targeted skin care interventions. Caregivers need knowledge and diagnostic skills to make appropriate clinical decisions. It is unlikely that specialised dermatological care will be delivered widely in the growing long-term care sector. Trial registration number: This study is registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02216526.