Dermatological Emergencies in the Medical Emergency Department of the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital of Lomé (Togo): Study of 116 Cases

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical profile of dermatological emergencies admitted to the medical emergency department of the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital (SO) in Lome. Methodology: This is a retrospective study conducted from January 2014 to December 2016 at the medical emergency department of the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital of Lome. Results: During the study period, 24225 patients were seen at the medical emergency department of the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital, of which 116 dermatological emergencies, i.e. a frequency of 0.47%. The mean age of the patients was 38.43 years (extremes: 16 and 85 years) and the sex ratio (M/F) was 0.68. The dermatological emergencies were: Leg Erysipelas (N=53; 45.68%), Chickenpox (N=21; 18.10%), herpes zoster (N=13; 11.2%), Stevens-Johnson and Lyell syndromes SJS/TEN (N=22; 18.95%), and Angioedema or Quincke’s edema (N=7; 6.03%). Conclusion: This study showed that skin pathologies were extremely rare in the medical emergencies of the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital, and dominated by infectious causes.