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DERMATOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ONCHOCERCIASIS IN GUATEMALA
Author(s) -
aka Shigeo,
Yoshimura Takesumi,
Sakamoto Makoto,
Flores Guillelmo Zea
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
the journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1346-8138
pISSN - 0385-2407
DOI - 10.1111/j.1346-8138.1983.tb01163.x
Subject(s) - depigmentation , onchocerciasis , medicine , dermatology , prevalence , epidemiology , pathology
A comprehensive survey of onchocerciasis was made at San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala, in 1978 to determine whether a relationship exists between general cutaneous changes and specific ones in Guatemalan onchocerciasis, and whether the depigmentation on the lower extremities is an onchocercal specific change or not. A total of 1185 people, 623 males and 562 females, were examined. The prevalence rate of onchocerciasis in the area surveyed was 41.6% in males and 17.3% in females. The prevalence rate of nodules was 20.1% in males and 6.8% in females. There was a similarity in the age distribution curves between the prevalence rate of nodules and that of onchocerciasis. The prevalence rate of the depigmentation on the lower extremities was 4.8% in males and 6.4% in females. There was no correlation between the age distribution curve and the prevalence rate of onchocerciasis. Symptoms coincident to the so called “pretibial depigmentation” were seen in 5 of 66 depigmented cases. The prevalence rate of the cicatricial depigmentation on the lower extremities was 31.3% in males and 28.3% in females. The rate of this depigmentation was considerably higher than the non‐cicatricial depigmentation of the lower extremities. The prevalence rate of lymphadenopathy was 59.8% in males and 9.8% in females. “Hanging groin” and elephantiasis were not seen in this region of Guatemala. The prevalence rate of all eczematous dermatitis was 11.3% in males and 9.8% in females. There were six cases with generalized eczematous dermatitis among our series of 128 cases. Five cases were seen in patients with onchocerciasis. Except for lymphadenopathy, our data shows the prevalence rate of cutaneous changes to be relatively low when compared to the prevalence rate of Guatemalan onchocerciasis. The prevalence rate of the generalized eczematous dermatitis, which may be similar to onchocercal dermatitis, is extremely low, and the depigmentation on the lower extremities, which may be similar to the pretibial depigmentation, is not commonly seen in this region of Guatemala. However, similar mild conditions not coinciding with the typical case showed a considerably higher prevalence rate in the same surveyed region. The correlation between the prevalence rate of the lymphadenopathy and the onchocerciasis infection rate appeared to be real. From these results, we feel that palpation of lymph nodes is useful for the determination of clinical information in onchocerciasis, without causing any significant discomfort to the patients being surveyed.