Epidemiology and Clinical Study of Pediatric Psoriasis on Black Skin in Dakar, Senegal

Abstract

Introduction: In subsaharian African countries there are so few data concerning the psoriasis of the child. Objectives: Our objective was to determine the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of the pediatric psoriasis in a dermatology unit, at Dakar in Senegal. Materials and Methods: This was an 8 years (2004-2011) retrospective study conducted at the Dermatological clinic of HALD. All patients under 16 years old with psoriasis were included. Results: We report 40 cases of psoriasis of the child. The sex ratio was 1.05 and the average age of 6 years. The atopic status was found in 4 cases as follows: 3 cases of asthma and 1 case of atopic dermatitis. The average time of consultation was 5 months. The way the patients consulted was: 28 cases consulted a general practitioner, 6 cases seen by a paramedic and 5 patients consulted a traditional healer. The treatment prescribed was: the long acting G penicillin in 3 cases, the antifungal drugs in 5 cases, the topical glucocorticoids in 6 cases and the herbal African medicines in 5 cases. The pruritus was present in 14 patients. The psoriasis vulgaris was the predominant form with 20 cases. The other forms were: 12 cases of guttate psoriasis, 6 cases of psoriasis universalis, 1 case in pustular and 1 case erythrodermic. The topical glucocorticoids were prescribed in all the patients. The recurrence were found in 5 cases and 8 patients were lost of follow up. Conclusion: Psoriasis is a rare and benign condition in children with predominance of simple forms such as psoriasis vulgaris.