[Epidemiologic study of skin diseases among immigrants in Alicante, Spain]. / Estudio epidemiológico de la patología cutánea en la población inmigrante de Alicante.

BACKGROUND: The influx of a large number of immigrants has altered the sociodemographic profile in Spain. To date, few studies of the skin diseases of immigrants to Spain have been done. OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of visits by immigrants to our dermatology clinic, to describe their skin complaints, and to compare them to those of the autochthonous Spanish population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective, descriptive, analytic study, with an observational substudy of cases and controls from a cross-section of the population. We included all immigrant patients seen at the dermatology clinic between February 2005 and February 2006. RESULTS: Visits by immigrants to the dermatology clinic accounted for 4.1% of the caseload. Their most frequent complaints were eczematous dermatitis (18.4%), viral warts (6.4%), and acne (6.3%). Comparison between the immigrant and autochthonous patient populations showed that eczematous dermatitis, alopecia, melasma, ringworm, scabies, Herpes simplex infection, keratosis pilaris, and xerosis were significantly more frequent among immigrant patients, whereas viral warts, actinic keratosis, hidradenitis suppurativa, lupus, melanoma, and squamous cell carcinoma were significantly less frequent (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The immigrant population consults the dermatologist about skin conditions that are already well represented in our routine practice. As the infectious skin diseases of immigrants are also common in our environment, these patients are unlikely to transmit serious tropical skin diseases to the local population.

Acute juvenile pityriasis rubra pilaris: a superantigen mediated disease?

Juvenile acute pityriasis rubra pilaris (JAPRP) is a form of pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP) with particular clinical characteristics and course. It is usually preceded by an infectious condition. We report a boy, initially thought to have Kawasaki disease, and subsequently diagnosed as having JAPRP, who made a satisfactory recovery. In this case, prior antibiotic treatment made it impossible to show the presence of any microorganism. However, the clinical characteristics of these patients and the similarities with other disorders involving the skin that are mediated by superantigens led us to think that these antigens may be involved in the development of this disease. Also, in view of the obvious differences between JAPRP and the other PRP, we suggest that, in the future this disorder may be considered a separate entity as a reactive exanthem.

Aquagenic keratoderma.

Aquagenic keratoderma has been described as a transitory condition involving young females and defined clinically by the appearance of palmar lesions accentuated after immersion in water. According to previous case reports, these lesions are characterized histologically by hyperkeratosis and dilated eccrine ducts. Some aberration in the eccrine ducts has been suggested as a possible pathogenic mechanism. We report a new case in a female adolescent. With regard to the normal aspect of the epidermis in our case, the clinical changes should be ascribed to a structural alteration of the horny layer without any visible microscopy change or functional alteration of the stratum corneum involving the organism in the adolescence period.

La influencia en dermatología de las prácticas culturales de la población inmigrante / Cultural Practices in Immigrant Populations and Their Relevance to Dermatology

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Estudio epidemiológico de la patología cutánea en la población inmigrante de Alicante / Epidemiologic Study of Skin Diseases Among Immigrants in Alicante, Spain

Introducción: España presenta una nueva realidad sociodemográfica condicionada por la llegada de gran número de personas inmigrantes. Debido a la escasez de estudios en nuestro país sobre población inmigrante (PI) en el campo de la Dermatología nos planteamos realizar este trabajo. Objetivo: Conocer la frecuencia de consultas de la PI de nuestro ámbito, documentar sus dermatosis y compararlas con las de la población autóctona (PA). Pacientes y métodos: Estudio prospectivo, descriptivo y analítico y subestudio observacional transversal de casos y controles. Se incluyó a todos los pacientes inmigrantes que fueron atendidos en la Sección de Dermatología entre febrero de 2005 y febrero de 2006. Resultados: La PI generó el 4,1% del total de consultas en Dermatología. Las patologías más frecuentes por las que consultaron fueron: dermatitis eccematosa (18,4%), verruga vírica (6,4%) y acné (6,3%). Al comparar las dermatosis entre PI y PA, la dermatitis eccematosa, la alopecia, el melasma, la tiña, la escabiosis, el herpes simple, la queratosis pilar y la xerosis fueron significativamente más frecuentes en la PI, mientras que los nevus melanocíticos, la verruga vírica, la queratosis actínica, la hidrosadenitis supurativa, el lupus, el melanoma y el carcinoma espinocelular lo fueron menos (p<0,05). Conclusiones: Las dermatosis por las que la población inmigrante suele consultar son las patologías habituales en nuestra práctica clínica diaria. Además sus dermatosis infecciosas son cosmopolitas, por lo que el paciente inmigrante probablemente no supone un riesgo real de transmisión de enfermedades importadas tropicales en el campo de la Dermatología (AU)

Background: The influx of a large number of immigrants has altered the sociodemographic profile in Spain. To date, few studies of the skin diseases of immigrants to Spain have been done. Objective: To determine the frequency of visits by immigrants to our dermatology clinic, to describe their skin complaints, and to compare them to those of the autochthonous Spanish population. Patients and methods: Prospective, descriptive, analytic study, with an observational substudy of cases and controls from a cross-section of the population. We included all immigrant patients seen at the dermatology clinic between February 2005 and February 2006. Results: Visits by immigrants to the dermatology clinic accounted for 4.1% of the caseload. Their most frequent complaints were eczematous dermatitis (18.4%), viral warts (6.4%), and acne (6.3%). Comparison between the immigrant and autochthonous patient populations showed that eczematous dermatitis, alopecia, melasma, ringworm, scabies, Herpes simplex infection, keratosis pilaris, and xerosis were significantly more frequent among immigrant patients, whereas viral warts, actinic keratosis, hidradenitis suppurativa, lupus, melanoma, and squamous cell carcinoma were significantly less frequent (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The immigrant population consults the dermatologist about skin conditions that are already well represented in our routine practice. As the infectious skin diseases of immigrants are also common in our environment, these patients are unlikely to transmit serious tropical skin diseases to the local population (AU)