Characteristics of patients admitted to a dermatology emergency unit in Tehran, Iran, during the COVID-19 pandemic

With the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many people were affected worldwide.This study evaluated patients’ characteristics and skin diseases at a Dermatology Emergency Unit (DEU) of a university skin hospital in Tehran, Iran, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also compared the results with those of a previous study performed at the same DEU in 2017. The data of all patients presented to the DEU during the first four months of the pandemic in Iran (February to June 2020) were studied, and variables such as age, sex, complaints, and finaldiagnosis were collected. A total of 3,745 patients (50.3% male) were studied. Infections (32.4%), dermatitis (20.5%), and urticaria (16.8%) were the most prevalent diagnoses in both genders. Infections were significantly more frequent in males (P < 0.001), while urticaria was more common in females (P < 0.001). The highest number of visits occurred between 12:00–18:00 (34.0%) and most patients were between 18–44 years old (48.8%). With the growing number of COVID-19 cases, the DEU of our skin hospital was involved as part of the medical community in screening COVID-19 patients. Compared to the previous study, the general framework of common causes of DEU visits was very similar to that of the non-pandemic era, although a significant increase in the proportion of dermatitis cases was observed. Likewise, the proportion of non-skin complaints was significantly higher, reflecting the public concern about the COVID-19 pandemic.