Common dermatologic diseases among students at a tertiary care center in Lebanon.

UNLABELLED: There are few publications on prevalence of skin diseases in Lebanon. OBJECTIVES: To find the prevalence of dermatologic diseases among students seen at the university health services of the American University of Beirut. PATIENTS & METHODS: Medical charts were retrospectively reviewed. Chi-square tests were used to assess any significant difference between male and female prevalence amongst all types of skin diseases met; p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: 2903 visits were reviewed, ages ranged from 16 to 33 years old, of whom 1688 were females (58.15%) and 1215 were males (41.85%). Acne vulgaris was the most prevalent, followed by hair problems and contact dermatitis. Acne vulgaris and hair problems were significantly higher among females, and verruca among males (p < 0.001 in all). CONCLUSIONS: Dermatologists must be aware of the psychological effects of skin diseases on their patients. Acne, hair problems, and contact dermatitis are the most common diseases seen. Patients seem to be more concerned about diseases that affect their image in society.

Topical zinc oxide vs. salicylic acid-lactic acid combination in the treatment of warts.

BACKGROUND: Warts are a common dermatologic problem. Treatment is painful, prolonged, and can cause scarring. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate topical zinc oxide for the treatment of warts. METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind controlled trial of 44 patients. Twenty-two patients were given topical zinc oxide 20% ointment, and the other 22 received salicylic acid 15% + lactic acid 15% ointment twice daily. All patients were followed up for 3 months or until cure, whichever occurred first. All patients were observed for side-effects. RESULTS: Sixteen patients in the zinc group and 19 in the salicylic acid-lactic acid group completed the study. In the zinc oxide-treated group, 50% of the patients showed complete cure and 18.7% failed to respond, compared with 42% and 26%, respectively, in the salicylic acid-lactic acid-treated group. No patients developed serious side-effects. CONCLUSION: Topical zinc oxide is an efficacious, painless, and safe therapeutic option for wart treatment.