The Clinical Characteristics of Inpatients: An Audit in the Department of Dermatology Hospital Kuala Lumpur Between 2016 and 2020

Background@#Although Dermatology is primarily a non-acute, outpatient-centered clinical specialty, some of them require in-patient care for intensive skin management. We aim to describe the demographic data, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of Dermatology inpatients in Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL).@*Methods@#This is a retrospective study on all dermatology inpatients in HKL between 2016 and 2020. Data was obtained from admission records and further analyzed.@*Results@#A total of 1567 patients were admitted to the Dermatology ward between 2016 and 2020 accounted for 2292 admissions. The mean age was 45 years (range 8-93). The male to female ratio was 1.16:1. The majority were Malaysian (99.2%). Most Malaysian were Malays (60%) followed by Chinese (19.3%) and Indian (17.1%). About 91% of the admissions were arranged from the dermatology clinic. The mean length of stay was 5.06 days (range 0-63). About 20% of the patients required multiple admissions. The main dermatological diagnosis requiring inpatient care were non-infective dermatoses (60.4%) which included eczematous dermatoses, autoimmune dermatoses, psoriasis, cutaneous adverse drug reactions, inflammatory and non-inflammatory dermatoses. This was followed by cutaneous infections (24.5%) and drug allergy testing & drug provocation tests (7.9%). About 3% of patients were transferred to other departments for further intensive management, and the rest were discharged home well. No mortality occurred in the Dermatology ward.@*Conclusion@#The Dermatology ward HKL managed 2292 admissions between 2016 and 2020. The three main dermatological diagnoses requiring intensive skin management were eczematous conditions, cutaneous infections, and autoimmune dermatoses.

Adult Onset Still’s Disease: A Case Report in Hospital Kuala Lumpur

@#Adult onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a sporadic complex autoinflammatory syndrome first described in 1971.1 It is characterised by high spiking fever, polyarthritis, sore throat, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, serositis, and evanescent skin eruptions.1,2 It is associated with life-threatening complications too. Diagnosis of AOSD is laborious as it requires extensive investigations to exclude infections, autoimmune diseases and malignancy. Here we illustrate a young female who exhibited a turbulent presentation of ASOD.

Cutaneous Manifestations in Patients Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus: An Audit in the Department of Dermatology Hospital Kuala Lumpur

@#Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may have significant cutaneous morbidities which can potentially affect their quality of life or be life-threatening. This study aimed to describe the demographic data and the pattern of cutaneous manifestations of patients infected with HIV.