Dermatologic diseases and healthcare pathway among pregnant women

Objective. - Make an inventory of skin lesions during pregnancy and obtain visibility on healthcare pathway among these women in order to identify more precisely the role of the general practitioner (GP). Methods. - Prospective, observational study, using a self-administered questionnaire among all women in immediate postpartum period between April 2021 and August 2021, relating to pre-existing skin lesions or rashes that appeared during pregnancy, and the description of the healthcare pathway among these women. Results. - The questionnaire was collected in 377 women with a mean age of 30.6 & PLUSMN; 3.7 years, 88.6% had fair skin and 14.6% were smokers. Among them, 35 (9.3%) declared skin diseases prior to pregnancy, of which 22 had a history of atopic eczema. During pregnancy, 136 women (36.1%) declared having skin lesions, the most frequent of which were stretch marks (63.2%) and hyperpigmentation (26.5%), and mainly during the 2nd trimester (47.0%). Among these 136 women, only 59 (43.4%) referred it to a health care professional who was in 47.4% of cases (28/59) their GP and in 76.3% (45/59) of cases during a pregnancy follow-up appointment.Conclusion. - This study showed that skin lesions during pregnancy were frequent and that the majority of these women consulted their GP.C 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.