Skin Disorders Encountered at a Pediatric Homeless Clinic: A Retrospective Chart Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE: Limited information about skin problems in homeless children exists in the current literature. RESEARCH QUESTION: Our objective was to classify the types of skin conditions commonly seen in a pediatric homeless clinic as compared to that of a large tertiary care children’s hospital dermatology clinic. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all children treated by pediatric dermatologists at a homeless clinic, and compared the diagnoses to what was seen at a general pediatric dermatology clinic. RESULTS: There were 100 visits for 75 patients at the homeless clinic during the study period of 33 months. Within the homeless clinic visits, 62% of patient’s reported living in a shelter. In the homeless population the most common diagnoses were atopic dermatitis (31.0%), acne (27.0%), other dermatitis (7.0%), molluscum (6.0%), warts (5.0%) and nevi (4.0%). In the nonhomeless population, the most common diagnoses were atopic dermatitis (19.2%), contact dermatitis (9.7%), hemangioma (9.5%), acne (9.4%), nevus, non‐neoplastic (6.8%) and benign neoplasm of the skin (6.3%). CONCLUSION: Homeless and non‐homeless children suffer from similar conditions such as atopic dermatitis, acne and nevi. With the growing homeless pediatric population and their exposure to unsheltered environments, further studies are needed to investigate the skin conditions affecting this population.