The relationship between prevalence of skin lesions and attendance time in swimmers [Yüzme sporu yapanlarda deri bulgularinin havuza devam süresi ile i·lişkisi]

Background and design: Skin lesions and infectious skin disorders may occur in participants of swimming pools because of chlorinated water and especially heat and moist environment. The object of this study was to document the prevalence of dermatological problems and their correlation with age and attendance time in swimmers attending to the same swimming pool. Materials and methods: Dermatologic examinations were made on subjects (n=236) from different swimming clubs in city of Izmir. Subjects aged 7-26 (12.4±3.5) years old were attending the swimming pool regularly and their attendance range was from one month to 20 years. Chi-Square and Pearson correlation tests were used to analyses of the results. Results: Most common skin lesions were found to be as Tinea pedis (%6.4), Pityriasis alba (%5.1) and Verruca vulgaris (%3.4). There were significant positive correlations between age and infectious skin lesions. Although similar tendency was observed between attendance time and infectious skin lesions, correlations were not statistically significant. Conclusion: We conclude that, although pool environment seems to have potential risk for infectious skin lesions independently from attendance time, personal hygiene plays an important role in prevention of skin lesions.