Primary bacterial skin infections: profile of the cases assisted in a dermatology service in the Amazon Region, Brazil

Abstract

Pyoderma is a common disease that occurs especially in adults and children. This study aimed to describe the frequency of pyoderma cases (folliculitis, erysipelas, cellulitis, furuncle and impetigo), the epidemiological profile of patients with these infections, and investigate possible associations with diabetes mellitus. The study was conducted by analyzing 63 patient records with pyoderma assisted between January 2009 and October 2012 in the reference service in Dermatology of the Universidade Federal do Pará, in the City of Belém, Pará State, Brazil. The results showed that: pyoderma occurs more frequently in females (59%), except folliculitis, which predominated in males; according to the types of pyoderma, folliculitis was the most common, with 47.61% of cases, regardless of gender; and the most affected age group was 30-39 years old, representing 19.05% of the total. Relating age and gender, the average age of women was 39.4 years old and of men, 30.5 years old. Among the case studies of pyoderma, 8% occurred in patients with diabetes. Folliculitis, impetigo and erysipelas were the most prevalent skin infections found in the Brazilian Amazon Region. There was no relationship between gender and specific pyoderma. A significant number of patients with bacterial infections was diabetic ones, pay attention to the need to enhace the preventive measures against these infections, especially in this risk group.