Dermatological morbidities in a tea garden population of Darjeeling District, West Bengal.

Dr. Saumik Chakraborty; Dr. Mousumi Roy Bandyopadhyay; Dr. Bidyut Bandyopadhyay; Dr. Samir Dasgupta; Dr. Kaushik Ishore; Dr. Dalliya Roy

Volume : VI, Issue : IX, September - 2016

Dermatological morbidities in a tea garden population of Darjeeling District, West Bengal.

Dr. Saumik Chakraborty, Dr. Mousumi Roy Bandyopadhyay, Dr. Bidyut Bandyopadhyay, Dr. Samir Dasgupta, Dr. Kaushik Ishore, Dr. Dalliya Roy

Abstract :

Background: Pattern of skin diseases vary widely in different regions, among diverse population groups. The study was undertaken to find out dermatological morbities among tea garden population. Aims: To find out pattern of dermatological diseases among tea garden population and also to ascertain epidemiological correlates. Materials and methods: An observational cross sectional study was conducted in a Tea garden area of Darjeeling district, West Bengal in December 2015. After proper IEC campaign, three medical camps were organized in the tea garden area in collaboration with Dermatology department of North Bengal Medical College. A total of 200 participants attended the camps, and all the attendees were included in the study. Categorical data was expressed in proportion and chi–square test was applied to test the significance. Results: Among all dermatological conditions, proportion of infectious diseases was found highest (47.5%) and 41.0% had eczematous conditions. Scabies, tinea and impetigo contributed most of the infectious diseases (40%, 29.5% and 11.6% respectively). Eczematous diseases were mostly noticed on hand/finger–tip (65.9%). However 36% of study subjects suffered from miscellaneous dermatological conditions with or without infective and/or eczematous conditions. These miscellaneous conditions included melasma (30.6%), acne (20.8%) and some other conditions. Overcrowding, personal hygiene, contact history, tea garden related activities were associated as risk factors for skin diseases. Conclusion: The study identified various dermatological morbidities and epidemiological correlates behind this problem. It recommends further study involving large number of tea gardens to assess actual magnitude of dermatological diseases among tea garden habitants