br Introduction The elderly population in Turkey has now bec

Introduction The elderly compund w in Turkey has now become the “aged” population. In Turkey, the elderly create 7.7% of the total population, and, according to population projections, this proportion will reach 10.2% (8.6 million older people) in 2023.
Materials and methods Multiple comparison testing could not be performed because there were too many groups according to the diagnosis, and there were only a small number of patients in some of the groups. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-square test, while the multiple variables were analyzed using the Bonferroni-corrected Z test. Comparison of the numerical values of diagnosis groups was done using Kruskal–Wallis analysis. Sex numerical values were compared using the t test. A p value < 0.05 was accepted as significant. All statistical analyses were performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 package program (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).
Results A total of 7412 geriatric patients were enrolled in the study; 3640 (49.1%) of them were male and 3772 (50.9%) female (female:male = 1.7:1). The mean age of the patients was 72.5 ± 6.1 years. Distribution of the patients in the age groups was as follows: 4992 (67.3%) patients in Group 1; 2123 (28.7%) in Group 2; and 297 (4%) in Group 3 (Table 1). The five most frequent dermatologic diseases were eczematous dermatitis (32.2%), skin infections and infestations (18.5%), pruritus (9.5%), benign neoplasms (9.2%), and erythematous–squamous diseases (5.7%). In females, bullous diseases, disorders of the skin appendages, and disorders of the mucous membranes were significantly more common, whereas in males, skin infections and infestations were more common (p < 0.05). Distribution of all skin diseases according to sex is given in Table 1. Distributions of eczematous dermatitis and skin infection types are given in Tables 2 and 3, respectively. The most common benign neoplasm was seborrheic keratoses (61%). The most frequent erythematous–squamous diseases were found to be psoriasis (62%) and lichen planus (30%). The most frequent bullous disease was bullous pemphigoid (62%). The two most frequent diseases in all three age groups were eczematous dermatitis, and skin infections and infestations. Frequencies of the other diseases were as follows: in Group 1, benign neoplasms and pruritus; in Groups 2 and 3, pruritus and benign neoplasms (Table 4). When we considered the diseases according to age groups, there were no differences among the groups for dermatologic diseases (p > 0.05). The most frequent diseases according to the diagnoses for hospitalization numbers were eczematous dermatitis (n = 118), pruritus (n = 64), skin infections and infestations (n = 56), erythematous–squamous diseases (n = 33), and benign neoplasms (n = 15). Hospitalization indications and average hospitalization times are given in Table 5. The longest hospitalization times were for skin infections and infestations (13 ± 3.1 days) [infestations (16.0 days), bacterial infections (13 ± 8.4 days)], pruritus (12.8 ± 10.7 days), and bullous diseases (12.6 ± 9.3 days).
Discussion The aged population (≥65 years) in our city is 7.3%. This percentage is similar to that of our country in general, hence our results can be generalized for Turkey. A study from Tunisia found the incidence of eczematous dermatitis to be 11.9%. In another study, this frequency was found to be 35.3% in Singapore and 58.7% in Taiwan. Eczematous dermatitis frequencies indicate a country\'s industrial improvement, therefore, these frequencies can change depending on the country\'s level of development. As reported in studies conducted in different countries, the most frequent diseases in the geriatric population are as follows: actinic keratosis in Croatia and Iran, eczema in Nepal, and dermatitis in Taiwan. In our study, we also found eczematous dermatitis as the most frequent disease. Actinic keratosis is more commonly seen in Croatia and Iran, the reasons being that Croatians have fair skin and that Iran is located closer to the equator. In our city, most of the population has Fitzpatrick type 3 and 4 skin. Therefore, actinic keratosis and photodermatitis are rarely observed. A study from Taiwan found the incidence of xerotic eczema to be high. Lipid content and elasticity of the skin decrease in the elderly. As a result, dryness and xerotic eczema are often expected in this age group. The city where we conducted the study is an industrial one, and it has a continental climate. Owing to tough weather conditions, dry air, chemical contactants, and potential air pollution, eczematous dermatitis is more commonly observed. Additionally, we believe that raising the awareness of people, by, for example, encouraging them to use emollients, can reduce the frequency of xerotic eczema.