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Background: Dermatology is primarily an outpatient clinical and surgical specialty, but substantial numbers of patients are admitted to hospital for inpatient treatment in dermatology wards., Methods: We performed a retrospective study of patients admitted to dermatology beds between September 1, 2002, and September 30, 2010. Patient data were analyzed for age, gender, ethnicity, length of stay (LoS), dermatologic disease, comorbidities, hospital-acquired infection (HAI), transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU), and mortality., Results: A total of 3308 patients admitted during this 8-year period were identified for analysis. The most frequent admissions were for eczema/dermatitis (17.5%) and cutaneous infections (15.9%). The mean LoS was 13.0 days. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) number of comorbidities per patient was 1.0 ± 1.2, among the most frequent of which were hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The rate of HAI was 6.2%; bloodstream infection was regarded as the most commonly acquired type and Staphylococcus aureus as the infectious agent most commonly found in culture. Of the patients admitted, 3.7% were transferred to the ICU and 2.5% died. In these latter two groups, the most common dermatologic diagnoses were immunobullous diseases, and the mean hospital LoS and rate of HAI were higher than in the total admissions cohort., Conclusions: Higher value should be placed on dermatology inpatient services in order to expand the availability of dermatology beds, mainly in tertiary hospitals, in view of the potentially high severity of the dermatologic diseases found in many patients referred to this type of service., (© 2013 The International Society of Dermatology.)

Background: There are no reliable data on the prevalence of skin diseases in Mozambique., Aim: To address this issue and to apply the findings to the dermatology teaching program at the Universidade Católica de Moçambique., Methods: Medical students attempted to identify the most common skin disorders in the "bairro Inhamudima" of Beira, Mozambique by conducting a population survey. During a 3-month period, the students visited families in a slum area. Information on gender, age, human immunodeficiency virus status, cutaneous abnormalities, diagnosis, treatment, and clinical course was recorded., Results: Eleven per cent of the study population suffered from cutaneous disease. More than half the patients (57%) sought medical assistance, but 39% could not be diagnosed by the medical students. The most common disorder was scabies. Other problems included fungal infections, viral infections, allergies, and dermatitis with or without secondary bacterial infection., Conclusions: There is a major dermatologic need in the slum areas of Beira, Mozambique. The dermatology teaching program should pay particular attention to training in the diagnosis and management of infections and infestations.

Background: The present study reports the incidence of trichocutaneous disorders studied in 500 patients infected with HIV 1 in a large university-based setting. Correlation of these findings with immunologic function at the time of diagnosis is presented. Unusual presentations and therapeutic interventions are discussed. Prognosis as related to various trichocutaneous disorders is elaborated., Methods: All patients in this study were HIV 1 positive by Western blot assay. T-cell subsets were evaluated by monoclonal antibodies against T-cell surface markers. Hair disorders were analyzed by means of light hair pull test, hair mount, polarizing microscopy, trichogram, scalp biopsy, and cultures for bacteria, fungi, and mycobacteria as indicated. Trichologic manifestations were classified based upon immunologic correlation of absolute level of helper T cells/mm3., Results: The majority of hair disorders in the study population occurred with helper T cell numbers of less than 150/mm3. Papulosquamous problems including seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis were most commonly noted followed by disorders of cell growth cycle regulation and trichokeratinization, i.e., telogen effluvium and loose anagen syndrome., Conclusions: Multiple trichocutaneous disorders occur in the setting of retroviral infection. Most of these disorders occur in the setting of progressive immunoincompetence. The awareness of the disorders described here will aid the clinician in both the recognition and management of pilar aberrations in the appropriate clinical setting.