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A survey of self‐reported skin disease in the elderly A frican‐ A merican population
Author(s) -
Caretti Katherine L.,
Mehregan Darius R.,
Mehregan David A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/ijd.12520
Subject(s) - medicine , population , environmental health
Background In the USA , the geriatric population, almost 12% of which will be comprised of African‐Americans, is expected to exceed 88 million by 2050. Data on dermatologic conditions in elderly African‐Americans are deficient. Objectives This study aimed to identify prevalences of self‐reported skin disease and skin‐related concerns in elderly African‐Americans, and to assess participants’ perceptions of skin disease and awareness of skin cancer. Methods Elderly African‐Americans were recruited into a cross‐sectional study and asked to complete a 17‐item questionnaire. Results A total of 101 participants aged 60–91 years (median age: 71 years) completed the questionnaire. The majority (75.2%) of the subjects were female. The most common self‐reported skin diseases were eczema/dermatitis (28.7%), fungal skin infections (16.8%), alopecia (6.9%), viral skin infections (4.9%), and urticaria (4.9%). The most common skin concerns were dry skin/pruritus (40.6%), moles (27.7%), hair loss (25.7%), skin discoloration (20.8%), and wrinkles (15.8%). Overall, 40.6% of participants reported concern about skin cancer, and 75.2% reported examining their skin regularly. However, 34.7% did not believe that people with darker skin types should be concerned about skin cancer. Conclusions This study provides an important overview of the most common self‐reported skin conditions in elderly African‐Americans. Substantial age‐related differences in the frequencies of skin disorders were apparent. It is important to include the elderly population within campaigns to educate minority group members on skin cancer.