Dermatological practice in Guadeloupe (French West Indies)

Guadeloupe is a French Caribbean island, with a population of mainly African ancestry, and a high standard of living. We recorded the dermatological diagnoses in 5000 new patients attending dermatologists. The main diagnoses were acne (16.4%), superficial mycoses (12.8%), and eczema (10.5%). Diseases considered to be specific to the tropics were scarce. The main dermatoses attributable to a tropical environment were superficial mycoses, and prurigo. Concerning ethnicity, the majority of Afro-Caribbeans and resident Caucasians visited dermatologists for the same diseases. The main difference attributable to ethnicity was a high rate of visits by Caucasians for melanocytic naevus and malignant/premalignant neoplasms. Dermatoses restricted to Afro-Caribbeans were only secondary ailments. The spectrum of diseases registered in our study was similar to that in Northern countries; this probably reflects the influence of the high standard of life in Guadeloupe.