Skin diseases among internally displaced Tawerghans living in camps in Benghazi, Libya.

BACKGROUND

Benghazi has received many internally displaced persons (IDPs) from other Libyan cities as a result of the armed conflict in Libya. These groups have significant health problems associated with their displacement, including skin diseases.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine the spectrum and frequency of skin diseases among people living in IDP camps in Benghazi.

METHODS

A total of 480 IDP camp residents with complaints of skin diseases were studied over a period of 6 months.

RESULTS

All subjects were ethnic Tawerghans; about three-quarters were female and half were adults. The disease types found to occur at the highest frequencies were skin infections (40.0%), followed by xerosis (31.3%), eczema (18.3%), acne (17.0%), hair-related diseases (6.7%), and psychosomatic diseases (3.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

People who are resident in IDP camps have skin problems similar to those of other populations in similar circumstances. They have increased vulnerability to infections, environment-associated disorders such as xerosis cutis and eczema, and diseases of psychosomatic origin.