Korean J Dermatol.  2021 Sep;59(8):581-586.

Short-Term Dermatology Medical Mission and Global Health: A Retrospective Analysis of Climate Change

• Ham MS
• Kim DY
• Kim DH
• Seo SH
• Ahn HH

Abstract

Background
The coronavirus disease pandemic has directly impacted global health. In developing countries, health service problems are more serious because of the lack of healthcare infrastructure. In this situation, if medical needs could be predicted, it would be helpful to bridge the medical gap with the provision of appropriate medical support.
Objective
The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between climate change and skin diseases in developing countries to better prepare for medical missions.
Methods
From 2012 to 2016, except for 2014, we visited a mission site located in Luzon, Philippines, every July. We retrospectively reviewed 499 patient data as well as weather information.
Results
The total number of patients decreased each year. The climate change analysis using Pearson correlation showed that the temperature and ultraviolet index tended to increase every year (r² =0.99, 0.93, respectively; p＜ 0.05). Conversely, humidity and rainfall decreased (r² =−0.99, −0.96, respectively; p＜0.05). The Cochran–Armitage test showed that the rate of infectious skin disease diagnoses decreased every year compared to that of eczematous diseases.
Conclusion
The total number of patients decreased by approximately 50% during medical service. We believe that the improvement in living standards and hygiene through continuous medical support has influenced the change in the incidence of skin diseases. Climate change was also thought to have affected the rate of skin disease diagnoses; in fact, the rate of infectious disease diagnoses tended to decrease compared to that of eczematous diseases. This analysis would be helpful for preparing for medical support.

Keyword

Climate; Eczema; Global health; Infectious skin diseases; Medical missions