title: Acutely ill patients in internal medicine departments want treatment for undiagnosed, symptomatic skin conditions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Concomitant skin conditions may be neglected in internal medicine patients due to lack of knowledge or resources. Thus, we investigated the prevalence of undiagnosed skin conditions in this population.
  
  
  METHODS
  200 patients in a university medical center's internal medicine division were examined clinically for dermatoses and quality of life in a prospective, 2-month, single-center study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients had several dermatological problems (mean per patient: 13; range: 3-25). There was no relationship between the patient's main medical problem and the number or nature of dermatological conditions. Most patients (84%) requested treatment for their skin condition during hospitalization, especially for xerosis (76%), warts (69%), seborrheic eczema (67%) and onychorrhexis (53%) but not for asymptomatic dermatoses. The impairment in skin-related quality of life was mild but significant, with a mean ± SD Dermatology Life Quality Index of 3 ± 4 (p < 0.001), and global quality of life impairment was severe (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inpatients suffered from many different, mostly age-related, skin conditions that remained undiagnosed. When prompted, however, patients requested treatment, particularly for symptomatic dermatological conditions such as xerosis, revealing an unmet need that needs to be addressed by qualified evaluation and care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Zurich University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Yasemin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Goeksu
authors.forename: Lukas U
authors.initials: LU
authors.lastname: Zimmerli
authors.forename: Ralph P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klaghofer
authors.forename: Lars E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: French
authors.forename: Edouard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Battegay
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Navarini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D007388:Internal Medicine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005791:Patient Care / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D017592:Skin Care / Q000379:methods*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D013557:Switzerland