Introduction:

This study analyzes the prevalence of dermatological diseases in the population of a precarious urban settlement near the municipal landfill of Asunción (Paraguay), in relation to exposure to socio-environmental conditions.

Materials and methods:

Descriptive, cross-sectional study with a non-probabilistic purposive sample that included 77 people aged between 5 months and 76 years.

Results:

At the time of physical examination, 96.2% of the people presented at least one skin lesion and 79.2% one or more infectious skin diseases, but 77.9% had not consulted a doctor. The most prominent were mycoses (35.1%), bacterial (35.1%) and ectoparasitoses (27.3%). It was identified that the prevalence of bacterial skin diseases points to possible increased exposure to adverse conditions such as: a subtropical climate with high temperatures and humidity, a high ratio of people living in the household per bedroom, water supply problems and sandy soils in homes, as well as a deficient excreta disposal system, the presence of animals with poor sanitary surveillance, proximity to streams and open-air waterways that deposit sewage and the recurrent impact of floods on days of heavy rainfall.

Conclusion:

The results suggest that the high prevalence of infectious skin diseases could be related to increased exposure to adverse local socio-environmental conditions, which are relevant factors to be taken into to improve the health care of skin diseases in the urban population living in a slum settlement.

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