Study of the skin disease spectrum occurring in an Afro-Caribbean population

There is a scarcity of recent up-to-date studies on the incidence of skin disease among Afro-Caribbeans.

One thousand patients were retrospectively studied for the commonest diagnoses made over a 5-month period from January to May 2001.

The commonest skin diseases seen were acne vulgaris (29.21%), seborrhoeic eczema (22.02%), pigmentary disorders (16.56%), and atopic eczema (6.1%). Other notable common diagnoses included keratosis pilaris, tinea infection, hirsuitism, folliculitis keloidalis nuchae, viral warts, dermatosis papulosa nigra, and confluent and reticulate papillomatosis.

The pattern of skin disease seen in the Afro-Caribbean population studied, more closely resembles those seen in developed countries than those seen in developing countries.