Objectives: The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of skin
diseases in aged nursing home residents and to explore possible associations
with demographic and medical characteristics. Design: Descriptive multicentre
prevalence study. Setting and participants: The study was conducted in a
random sample of ten institutional long-term care facilities in the federal
state of Berlin, Germany. In total, n=223 residents were included. Results: In
total, 60 dermatological diseases were diagnosed. The most frequently
diagnosed skin disease was xerosis cutis (99.1%, 95% CI 97.7% to 100.0%)
followed by tinea ungium (62.3%, 95% CI 56.0% to 69.1%) and seborrheic
keratosis (56.5%, 95% CI 50.2% to 63.0%). Only few bivariate associations have
been detected between skin diseases and demographic and medical
characteristics. Conclusion: Study results indicate that almost every resident
living in residential care has at least one dermatological diagnosis.
Dermatological findings range from highly prevalent xerosis and cutaneous
infection up to skin cancer. Not all conditions require immediate
dermatological treatment and can be managed by targeted skin care
interventions. Caregivers need knowledge and diagnostic skills to make
appropriate clinical decisions. It is unlikely that specialised dermatological
care will be delivered widely in the growing long-term care sector. Trial
registration number: This study is registered at
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02216526
