Prevalence and Factors Associated with Self-Medication in Dermatology in Togo

Objective. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with self-medication in dermatology in Lomé, Togo. Methods. We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study from February to April 2016 in 2 dermatology departments in Lomé. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were carried out to identify possible factors associated with self-medication. Results. A total of 711 patients were included in the study. The mean age (±SD) of the patients was years and the sex ratio (male/female) was 0.6. The main dermatologic diseases recorded were immunoallergic dermatoses (39.7%) and infectious skin diseases (22.6%). Two-thirds (481/711; 66.7%) of the patients had practiced self-medication before consultation in dermatology units. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with self-medication were female sex (aOR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.01, 2.05), duration of dermatologic disease more than one year (aOR = 1.79; IC = 1.19, 2.68), adnexal dermatoses (aOR = 2.31; 95% IC = 1.03–5.21), keratinization disorders (aOR = 4.23; 95% CI = 1.36–13.13), and fungal skin infections (aOR = 5.43; 95% CI = 2.20, 13.38). Conclusion. Our study confirms that self-medication practice is very common among patients with dermatologic diseases in Lomé and has identified associated factors.

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