The spectrum of skin‐related conditions in primary care during 2015–2019–A Finnish nationwide database study

Background: Skin‐related conditions are the frequent cause of doctors’
consultations in primary care.
Methods: Based on nationwide data bank information of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, we analysed the 20 most frequent main diagnoses for each ICD‐10 category of all general practitioners’ visits in the
public health care in Finland over the years 2015–2019.
Results: The total amount of doctor’s visits was 19 204 613 of which
1 489 228 consultations (7.80%) had a skin‐related condition as the main
diagnosis. The most frequent skin‐related conditions were eczematous
eruptions, bacterial skin infections and benign skin neoplasms accounting
for 749 351 consultations (50.32%). The spectrum of skin‐related conditions
was diverse, with a large quantity of rarer diagnoses. Some diagnoses
showed significant proportional changes.
Conclusions: The results demonstrate that a limited amount of conditions
comprises most of the skin‐related consultations in primary care in Finland.
Undergraduate education in dermatology should concentrate on the most
frequent conditions seen by general practitioners, but also address the wide
range of skin problems.