Prevalence of intertrigo and associated factors: A secondary data analysis of four annual multicentre prevalence studies in the Netherlands

Background: Intertriginous dermatitis (intertrigo) is caused by occlusive conditions in skin folds increasing local heat and moisture and skin-on-skin friction.

Objectives: To measure the prevalence of intertrigo in hospitals, care homes, and home care and to identify demographic and health characteristics being associated with intertrigo.

Design: Secondary data analysis of four cross-sectional multicentre prevalence studies conducted between 2013 and 2016.

Settings: Care homes, hospitals, and home care in the Netherlands.

Participants: Subjects being 18 years and older who underwent skin examinations for intertrigo.

Methods: Pairs of two trained nurse raters per participating institution conducted head-to-toe skin examinations.

Results: Results of 40,340 subjects were included into the data analysis. The prevalence of intertrigo was highest in home care (9.6% (95% CI 8.6% to 10.6%)) followed by aged care facilities (6.7% (95% 6.4 to 7.0)) and hospitals (2% (95% CI 1.8% to 2.3%)). A high BMI, having diabetes mellitus and being care dependent was highly associated with the presence of intertrigo in all three settings.

Conclusions: Intertrigo is a common skin condition in care homes and home care. Obese and diabetic subjects, and subjects needing help with hygiene and getting dressed are at particular high risk. Adequate skin care strategies might be helpful to prevent this skin problem.