Chilblains in Turkey: a case-control study

BACKGROUND

Chilblains are rather common in winter months in our country.

OBJECTIVES

Determination of demographical and clinical characteristics of patients presentingwith chilblains in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Evaluation of body mass index (BMI) as riskfactor for development of chilblains.

METHODS

Sixty-nine patients who were diagnosed as chilblains at our outpatient clinicswere included in this study. No exclusion criteria were sought. Demographical dataincluding height and weight and answers to questions related to personal historywere recorded. A control group consisting of 108 controls were chosen from amongpatients presenting with complaints of hair loss. Statistical analyses wereconducted using SPSS 17.0.

RESULTS

Of the 69 patients with chilblains, 45 (65.2%) were females and 24 (34.8%) weremales. Mean age (±SD) of the patients was 21±9. 71.2% of the patients complainedof itching, 51.6% of pain, 31.3% of burning in the lesions. 61.3% of the patientsreported recurrence of the lesions every winter season. Mean BMI of the patientswas 20.5±2.9. Mean BMI of the controls was 22.4±3.7 and the difference wasstatistically significant (p=0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Low BMI may be a risk factor contributing to development of chilblains in personsexposed to cold weather conditions. Apart from external factors, there seems to bea personal tendency to develop lesions, as many patients report recurrences everyyear. Diagnosis of chilblains requires wariness, as history of cold exposure maynot be evident.