A Statistical Analysis of Dermatology Patients Visiting the Emergency Department in the Recent 3 Years (2010~2012)

Lee, Heun Joo; Jung, Ho Joo; Nam, Jae Hui; Park, Ji Hye; Lee, Ga Young; Kim, Won Serk

Abstract

BACKGROUND
An increasing number of patients visit the emergency department (ED) for dermatological complaints. However, there is a paucity of data regarding the skin conditions presenting to the ED.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to describe the characteristics of skin complaints seen in the ED of a tertiary hospital in Korea.
METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed 1,663 new dermatological emergency patients who visited the ED of our hospital from January 2010 to December 2012. All skin conditions were diagnosed by a dermatologist and not by an emergency medicine specialist.
RESULTS
A total of 1,663 patients with skin problem were seen, corresponding to 1.5% of total ED visits. The mean age was 41.8 years and there was a slight female predominance (61.2%). The peak arrival time was between 9 pm and midnight. In terms of visit length, 68.9% of patients stayed less than 2 hours. Patients most commonly presented with urticaria/angioedema (53.8%) followed by herpes zoster (14.0%), contact dermatitis (7.2%), drug eruption (6.5%), and cellulitis/erysipelas (4.0%). Urticaria/angioedema patients were most commonly aged 21 to 40 years and herpes zoster patients were most commonly aged 51 to 70 years. Admissions occurred in 8.1% of cases, most frequently for herpes zoster.
CONCLUSION
This retrospective study provides insight into the types of cases being evaluated by dermatologists in the ED of a tertiary hospital. An awareness of these characteristics may assist physicians working in the ED in evaluating patients who present to the ED with skin disease.