Perfil nosológico de centro de referência em dermatologia no estado do Amazonas - Brasil

backgrounds: fundaments: skin diseases are associated wih high morbidity, low mortality and low rate of hospitalization. however, they can cause considerable interference in physical and emotional well-being of the individual. several of them reach large population, requiring specific interventions for their control. objective: to describe the frequency of skin disease diagnosed in the dermatology service in manaus, capital of amazonas state. methods: we collected data on registered sex, age, origin and diagnostics for the first consultation of patients attended between january 2000 and december 2007. results: of the 56.024 recorded visits, we obtained 56.720 cases of dermatological diagnoses, being the most common sexually transmitted diseases (25,12%), allergic skin disesases (14,03%), unspecified dermatoses (13,01%), leprosy (6,34%) and acne, seborrhea and related diseases (5,05%). the frequency was similar for both sexes, aged 20-29 years predominated and manaus the origin most reported. conclusions: the pattern of skin diseases identified in this study may serve as a baseline to managers of health system in the region develop strategies for prevention and control of dermatoses, with emphasis on sexually transmitted diseases, allergic skin diseases, leprosy and acne