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

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.