Dupuytren's contracture in the black population: a review

There is general agreement that Dupuytren's contracture is a genetic disorder that occurs predominantly in white men of Northern European ancestry. It appears rarely in the purely black population. We present our experience from Temple University of 8 black patients with Dupuytren's contracture. We also present a review of the world literature dealing with the black population and Dupuytren's disease. A total of 23 patients are reviewed, including our group. They all fall into the category of no Caucasian admixture and negative family history of Dupuytren's contracture. Every patient reviewed has at least 1 hand involved. History and presentation of disease, as well as epidemiological associations (e.g., age distribution, diabetes, and epilepsy), in our review are similar to that seen in the Caucasian population. The diathesis or predisposition for Dupuytren's contracture appears to be less extensive in our series of 8 black patients. History taking, with regard to occupation and possible traumatic etiology, remains a very useful tool.