The majority of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have established primary skin manifestations or associated clinical feature. Skin NTDs often result in physical impairment and disfigurement, which can lead to disability. Skin diseases have been proposed as an entry point for integrated NTDs control.

A new study published in the Journal of Infection in Developing Countries aimed to understand the magnitude and overlap of skin NTDs.

This was an institution-based cross-sectional study that used medical records of dermatology patients between July 2017 and June 2018 in a dermatology service in Northeast Ethiopia. Patient records were randomly selected using simple sampling.

Overall, 656 complete records were included in analysis. The results showed that skin NTDs constituted 17.2% of the skin diseases. Of the skin NTDS, cutaneous leishmaniasis (35.4%); leprosy (33.6%); and scabies (27.4%) were the most common. In addition, there were four cases of mycetoma. Meanwhile, among non NTDs, poverty-related infections such as superficial fungal (21.1%) and bacterial (5.2%) infections were also frequent. Tinea capitis was the most common superficial fungal infection while impetigo and cellulitis were the predominant bacterial infections.

Hence, it was inferred that skin NTDs and other poverty related skin infections are common presentations. Dermatological services could act as a good entry point for integrated management of skin NTDs. It was stated that future studies should assess how different preventive strategies like contact tracing, early diagnosis and mass drug administration can be integrated.

Source: Journal of Infection in Developing Countries. 2020 Jun 29;14(6.1):16S-21S. doi: 10.3855/jidc.11707.