Epidemiological Patterns of Common Skin Disorders in Dermatology Outpatient Clinics: A Decade of Data from Eastern Saudi Arabia

Background: Skin disorders represent a significant public health concern, particularly in regions like Eastern Saudi Arabia, where environmental, genetic, and lifestyle factors influence disease patterns. Despite their burden, comprehensive regional data on dermatological conditions remain limited. Objective: This study aimed to identify the most prevalent skin disorders encountered in derma-tology outpatient clinics in Eastern Saudi Arabia and to explore their distribution across demographic subgroups. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using electronic medical records from King Fahad Hospital of the University between 2014 and 2024. A total of 26,363 patients were included. Diagnoses were documented by board-certified dermatologists and classified using ICD-10 codes. Data on age, gender, and nationality were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 26,363 patients were analyzed Most patients were female (61.6%) and aged 13– 60 years (77.3%). The most common diagnoses were eczematous disorders (20.66%) and acneiform disorders (20.47%), followed by viral skin infections (16.52%) and infectious skin conditions (7.02%). Females had higher frequencies across most diagnostic categories. Children ≤ 12 years showed a higher prevalence of infectious skin disorders (22.03%). Miscellaneous skin conditions accounted for 17.10% of cases. Conclusion: Eczematous and acneiform disorders were the most frequent conditions in this outpatient population, consistent with national and international trends. These findings underscore the need for region-specific dermatology services and public health planning. Further research is warranted to explore underlying risk factors and inform targeted interventions. Keywords: skin diseases, infectious, eczematous, Saudi Arabia