Profile of Contact Dermatitis in Elderly Patients

Abstract

Background: Contact dermatitis (CD) is one of the most common inflammatory skin disorders. Decreased skin function in the elderly, such as decreased collagen synthesis, hydration, and sebum production that causes dry skin and changes in immunological responses, are risk factors for CD in the elderly. Objective: To determine the profile of contact dermatitis in the elderly. Methods: This study is a descriptive retrospective study conducted at the Dermatology and Venereology outpatient unit of Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital Surabaya, with a population of contact dermatitis patients aged 50 years or older, using total sampling methods in a 3-year period. Results: The number of elderly patients was 9,063 out of 32,226 patients (0.28%) at the Dermatology and Venereology outpatient unit of Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital Surabaya for 3 years (2019-2022). Out of the 9,063 elderly patients, there were 90 elderly CD patients (0.90%), representing 18.33% of the total 491 CD patients, consisting of allergic contact dermatitis (53.3%) and irritant contact dermatitis (46.7%), with an age range of 50-90 years (mean 61.1±7.9). The most causative agents in ACD were cosmetics (40.1%) and medicated oils (33.3%), while in ICD were herbal oils (25.9%), detergents (22.4%), and dishwashing soap (18.9%). Conclusion: The prevalence of CD among the elderly for a period of 3 years was 18.33% out of patients diagnosed with CD. Females, aged 55 to 65 years, and working as housewives made up the majority of elderly CD patients, with hand and face dermatitis as the most common manifestation.