[Analysis of the demand for dermatological care in the immigrant population served by hospital Miguel Servet in Saragossa, Spain].
BACKGROUND
In recent years there has been an increase in the size of the immigrant population consulting dermatology services in Spain. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological characteristics of this sector of the population in the health care area served by Miguel Servet Hospital in Saragossa, Spain.


METHODS
Data were collected on immigrant patients seen in the dermatology department of our hospital during 2004. Dermatological diagnoses were classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification. Statistical analysis was undertaken using the SPSS statistical package, Access database management software, and Excel spreadsheets.


RESULTS
A total of 706 patients were seen, corresponding to approximately 4 % of all first appointments, and more women were seen than men, a difference that was statistically significant. The mean age of the patients was 31 years and there were no statistically significant differences in age between the sexes. In order of frequency, the most common countries of origin of the patients were Ecuador, Colombia, Romania, Morocco, Gambia, Guinea, and Senegal. The most common skin diseases in this population group were infectious diseases, in particular mycoses, followed by viral diseases and pyodermatitis, as well as sexually transmitted diseases. In all cases, the incidence of the disease was higher than in the Spanish population.


CONCLUSIONS
An appropriate knowledge of dermatological diseases in this population group is necessary both to obtain correct diagnosis and to develop preventative measures for imported diseases.
Porta
N
N
Servicio de Dermatología, Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, España. nportaa@medynet.com
San Juan
J
J
Simal
E
E
Baldellou
R
R
Ara
M
M
Zubiri
M L
ML
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003880:Dermatology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013030:Spain