The spectrum of non- neoplastic skin lesions in Ibadan, Nigeria: a histopathologic study

Histopathological Study of Skin Lesions in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction:

Skin diseases are much common in developing countries. The spectrum varies according to geographic distribution, gender, age, and coexisting disorder. We conducted this study to find out the prevalence of different skin lesions and to evaluate their frequency and site of distribution.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in the pathology department of Kathmandu Medical college from June 2019 to November 2019 after ethical clearance. The skin biopsies were processed, sectioned and stained with Haematoxylin and eosin and evaluated. A convenience sampling method was used. Data was collected and entry was done in Statistical Packages for Social Services version 20.0, point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data.

Results:

Among 133 skin biopsies examined, noninfectious vesicobullous and vesicopustular disease were found in 42 (46.6%) cases followed by microbial disease in 22 (24.5%) and noninfectious erythematous papular and squamous disease in 21 (23.4%) cases. Spongiotic dermatitis was the most common vesicobullous disease seen in 26 (28.9%) cases. Leprosy was the commonest microbial disease found in 7 (7.8%) cases. The commonest noninfectious erythematous papular and squamous disease was erythema dyschromicum perstans seen in 7 (7.8%) cases. The commonest neoplastic lesion was keratinocytic tumor seen in 12 (32.5%) cases. The commonest tumor of the skin was intradermal nevus seen in 6 (16.3%) cases. Upper extremities were the most frequently involved site by skin lesions.

Conclusions:

Spongiotic dermatitis is a predominating non-neoplastic and overall skin lesion which was similar to the other studies done. Histopathological examination is the gold standard for the proper diagnosis as histomorphological features distinguish various skin lesions.

The histopathological pattern of benign and non-neoplastic skin diseases at King Fahad Hospital, Madinah, Saudi Arabia

Objectives:

To characterize and compare the histopathological pattern of benign skin diseases in patients from Madinah region of Saudi Arabia.

Methods:

This retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Pathology, King Fahad Hospital, Madinah, Saudi Arabia, and contained cases of benign skin diseases for 11 years (from January 2006 to December 2017). The findings were tabulated in Microsoft Excel sheet and classified based on histopathological diagnosis.

Results:

Of 1,125 skin tissues reviewed, 579 (51.5%) specimens were from male patients and 546 (48.5%) specimens were from females giving a male: female ratio of 1.1:1. The ages ranged from 1 to 101 years with a mean age of 36.9±9.8 years. Most of the skin diseases (n=639; 57%) were seen in the age group 20-49 years. The most common skin diseases observed were disorders of skin appendages (29.6%) followed by benign tumors (18.3%), disorders of pigmentations (11.9%), papulosquamous lesions (11.4%), and dermatitis/eczema (10%). In the group of skin appendages disorders, epidermal inclusion cyst was the most common disease entity representing 20.4% of cases, followed by trichilemmal cyst accounting for 9.2% of the total cases. Mean ages of the patients were 35±8.5 years and 36.7±9.7 years respectively.

Conclusion:

A variety of benign skin lesions were seen in the present study in a wide age distribution range. The most common skin diseases observed in this study were skin appendage disorders, benign skin and adnexal tumors, pigmentation disorders, and papulosquamous lesions.