INTRODUCTION
Dermatology is an essential part of general medicine and with clientele of family physician. Since the skin is not, by any means, foreign to the body which it covers. Diseases of the skin are a common occurrence. There are not many statistics to prove the exact frequency of skin diseases in this country, but commonly 20% of the skin diseases, a family physician and treating dermatologist encounters them in their day-to-day practice. A survey among school children in London revealed that skin diseases were responsible for an absentee rate of 23 per 100 children. Amongst the industrial workers covered by the Employees’ State Insurance Scheme, there is a high rate of absenteeism due to skin diseases. While infections are more common in the tropics, chemical and psychogenic dermatoses are common in Western countries. There is no truth in the statement that skin diseases are to be found only in the tropics.2
THE INDIAN SCENARIO
The skin diseases, which commonly found in tropical and developing countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives are pyodermas, scabies, fungus infections, leprosy, STDs, HIV. The most commonly states in India affected by these diseases are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Central parts of Madhaya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
THE WORLD STATISTICS
Most of the African countries still suffer from diseases occuring from malnutrition, avitaminosis, hypoproteinemia, leprosy, STDs, HIV, AIDS. The diseases in the developed and advanced countries are because of industrial pollution, chemical factories, rubber, nylon and synthetic dyes, etc. are the common causes of skin diseases.
3The modern stress and strain of human life are also contributing diseases like neurodermatitis, eczemas, vitiligo, etc.
The epidemiology of skin diseases, the etiology, prevalence of the skin diseases, effects of skin diseases on the life of human beings depend on the geographical, ecological, environmental, social factors above all the education, status and information of the masses.
SCOPE OF DERMATOLOGY
Skin reflects the internal disease process. It is more or less a glass and mirror of the body. There are various causative factors like physical, emotional, stress and strain and other known and unknown influences including genetics, genetic codes, RNA and DNA markers.
SKIN CONDITIONS CAUSED BY PARASITES
These infestations are caused by common insects. Mostly because of poverty, unhygienic conditions, crowded environments, poor nutrition and lack of education.
STRESS AND SKIN
Beauty is skin deep. It is a common saying. It is the largest organ of the body. It acts as a mantle or cover and protects from the external injuries. It is a important organ which creates unique shapes and hues in various individuals. If it is affected it will cause various reaction patterns.
5Skin disfigurement however may be a barrier to privileges and opportunities because of the profound social significance of appearance and the attitudes and prejudices of the society towards one whose appearance is atypical. Because of certain skin diseases, physically attractive people are believed to have more socially desirable traits than others.
The outcome of the various response patterns may result into itching, pain, crawling, etc. The emotional responses may lead to disability and depression with negative thinking processes and causing into failures and disinterestedness in surroundings and in life.
The skin is affected by mind so called psyche. Also the human body is affected by emotions, stress and strain of life due to various factors, e.g. neurodermatitis, stress urticaria, etc.
The skin is the boundary between ourselves and the world around us. It is an important organ which acts as a mirror and window for the internal disease process which many times exhibits on the skin. This may produce not only psychological but functional and sociological impact on the patient and in severe cases, it may produce dejection and death.6
The course of the skin diseases is described and depicted as (1) Acute (2) Subacute (3) Chronic. Some of the disease are fatal, e.g. Penphigus, AIDS etc. The course and prognosis is depicted in the Figure 1.8.
Since time immemorial, over the course of evolution, nature prepared man to bear up to the various influences of his environment and to establish permanent contacts with changing environmental processes.7
During thousands of years, biological rhythms developed in accordance with the activities of different functional systems of the body. Moreover, these rhythms changed parallel to changes in nature or environment.8
The skin is a mirror of the internal, systemic disease process. Because of the change of body immunity also changes in the local skin immunity will produce definite changes and disease process on the skin so called dermatological disease.