An Audit of Dermatoses at Baqai Institute of Skin Diseases, Karachi

In 2002, a study was conducted at the Baqai Institute of Skin Diseases in Karachi, Pakistan, involving 13,105 patients. The patients were of all age groups and both sexes, with 51% being female and 49% male. The most common disease found was scabies (15.4%), but as a group, eczema was the most prevalent, accounting for 25% of patients. This was followed by fungal infections (12.6%), acne (8.5%), and bacterial infections (6.4%). Other notable diseases included melasma (4%), androgenetic alopecia (3.2%), diffuse alopecia (2.7%), urticaria (2.4%), psoriasis (2.1%), viral infections (1.7%), alopecia areata (1.5%), lichen planus (1.3%), and vitiligo (1.1%). The pattern of dermatoses at the institute was found to be similar to other cities in Pakistan, with minor differences.