Pattern of Skin Diseases among Migrant Construction Workers - A Community Based Cross-Sectional Study from Andhra Pradesh, India

BACKGROUND Workers in a construction site may be exposed to various hazardous substances, physical agents, poor hygienic living conditions and harsh environmental factors. It is associated with plethora of health risks and increased risk of various dermatological conditions is one such phenomenon which needs evaluation. We did this study to assess the prevalence and pattern of skin diseases among migrant construction workers. METHODS The current study was a community based cross-sectional study. Group of construction workers working in a single cluster were selected by convenient sampling. Data collection was done from March to September 2019. All the migrant construction workers, who were available onsite were screened by a team of qualified dermatologists and diagnosis of skin diseases was made using clinical skills and lab facilities. Descriptive analysis was carried out by mean and standard deviation (SD) for quantitative variables, and frequency and proportion for categorical variables. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS statistical software version 21. RESULTS A total of 833 construction workers were screened. There was a high male preponderance, with male to female ratio of 7.42:1. The overall prevalence of any dermatological morbidity was 36.2 %. Infective skin diseases contributed to 61.56 % of the dermatological morbidity. Among infective conditions, fungal infections (65.5 %) were the most common infective dermatoses. Mite infestation (scabies) was found in 46 (23.35 %) workers. The common bacterial infections observed were furuncle and folliculitis in 7 (3.55 %) subjects each. Sycosis barbae was seen in 2 (1.02 %) subjects. Viral infections like herpes and molluscum contagiosum have contributed to the minor portion of the dermatological morbidity. One subject was found to have Hansen’s disease. Allergic contact dermatitis (29.27 %), photodermatitis (14.63 %), miliaria (12.20 %), hand eczema (9.76 %) and irritant contact dermatitis (7.32 %) were the common non-infective skin conditions affecting the study population. CONCLUSIONS There is high burden of dermatological morbidity among construction workers. Majority of the skin conditions were infective in nature. Poor literacy levels, overcrowded living conditions and poor personal hygienic practices were the possible risk factors. KEYWORDS Dermatological Morbidities, Construction Workers, Prevalence