Skin diseases may be far more common than you thought. According to a study, many people who are affected by a disease do consult a disease they should.
The study that was published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology has estimated the prevalence of skin disease outside the typical medical setting. Because many people do get the consultation necessary, the study did not rely on health insurance data, but rather on data collected at the Munch Oktoberfest in Germany.
The screenings of the tests were performed on a random basis on participating visitors by researchers from the University of Munich in Germany. Out of a total of 2701 participants, the study found at least one skin abnormality in 16662 of the participants – which is at a staggering number of 64.5%. The most common diseases were actinic keratosis (26.6 percent), rosacea (25.5 percent), and eczema (11.7 percent). Skin diseases increased with age and were more frequent in men (72.3 per cent) than in women (58.0 per cent). Nearly two-thirds of the affected participants were unaware of their abnormal skin findings.
"Skin diseases might be even more prevalent than previously thought. Considering their significant impact on individual, family, and social life as well as their heavy economic burden caused by inadequate self- or non-physician treatment, the public health importance of skin diseases is underappreciated," said Alexander Zink, of the Technical University of Munich. "Information and awareness campaigns are needed to better address this neglected issue and to reduce the global burden of skin diseases," said Zink.
