Chronic Cutaneous Disorders in Down syndrome Patients

Abstract

Background: Down syndrome is an extensively studied chromosomal disorder characterized by mental retardation and distinct physical manifestations, and it is the second most common cause of mental retardation in Iraqi children after idiopathic mental retardation. However, the chronic cutaneous conditions associated with the syndrome have received relatively inadequate attention. This paper aims to determine chronic cutaneous disorders persisting more than six months or reoccurring over six months in Down syndrome patients. Patients and Methods: Twenty-seven patients (17 males and 10 females) with Down syndrome were observed at the Children Teaching Hospital of Baghdad medical City and the Medical Consultation Clinic of Iraq headquarter of Copernicus Scientists international panel in Baghdad during 2018 and 2019. Their ages when they were first seen ranged from 4 months to 30 years. Results: Chronic cutaneous disorders were observed in four patients of the twenty-seven patients observed. Three patients including a thirteen-year-old girl and two boys had alopecia areata, and a man aged thirty years had familial baldness and Tinea corporis of the dorsum of the right hand. Conclusions: This paper highlights the association between Down syndrome and Tinea corporis which has not been noticeably emphasized in the medical literature.