Sexually Transmitted Infections: A Public Health Priority and Public Health Approaches

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Psychosocial problems in patients with vitiligo in Nigeria

Vitiligo is a benign idiopathic depigmenting skin disease that can cause profound social embarrassment and psychological turmoil to the affected persons. There is alteration of skin colour and this can be confused with other skin diseases including leprosy, a disease with significant stigmatization even from biblical times. Dermatosis generally because of several myths in the African culture may have a significant impact on a patient\'s quality of life including the relationship to others, self-image and self-esteem. The extent to which vitiligo affects the emotional and psychological wellbeing of people affected especially in blacks need to be documented and addressed. Sixty patients with vitiligo in various parts of the body were subjected to an open ended questionnaire to show their perception of the attitude of others to their skin condition and how it affects their relationships with relatives, casual acquaintances and co-workers. Ninety percent of patients were embarrassed about their own lesions. People stared at them, avoided them, made rude remarks, gave derogatory names to their skin conditions and this affected their social interactions and outings. However family and sexual relationships were well preserved. The support of family members and attending physician can help affected people cope with vitiligo. Cosmetic cover will reduce the embarrassment of the patient. Some of the patients may need counselling and psychiatric consults. Health education on skin diseases to the general public will be useful in alleviating the stigmatization associated with skin diseases. Keywords: Vitiligo, Psychosocial, Stigma Sudanese Journal of Dermatology Vol. 5 (2) 2008: pp. 51-5

Severe Tinea corporis resulting from the use of topical steroids as skin lightening cream – Report of three cases

Use of systemic and topical steroids is associated with many side effects. Cutaneous side effects of steroid include with many others susceptibility to cutaneous infections. One of such infections is Tinea corporis. Steroids form an important component of skin lightening and toning creams. Among females in our society the fair complexion is regarded as a plus for beauty, therefore many use these creams to make their skin fairer and, by their reckoning, more beautiful. We here present three cases of severe Tinea corporis resulting from the use of steroid-based body creams. Keywords: tenia copris, topical steroids, skin lightening, bleaching creams Sudanese Journal of Dermatology Vol. 5 (2) 2008: pp. 67-7

Dermatologic conditions in teenage adolescents in Nigeria

Eshan B Henshaw,1 Olayinka A Olasode,2 Evelyn E Ogedegbe,3 Imaobong Etuk4 1Dermatology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross River State, 2Department of Dermatology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, 3Cedarcrest Hospital, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, 4Department of Pediatrics, University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria Background: Skin disorders are common in adolescents, and the impact on quality of life can be enormous, particularly when viewed against the backdrop of the visibility of skin diseases and the psychologically vulnerable period of adolescence. However, few studies have documented the magnitude of skin disorders in this subset of individuals. We therefore estimated the point prevalence and pattern of dermatologic conditions in adolescents attending various secondary schools in Calabar, Southern Nigeria. Methods: Using a structured questionnaire, relevant sociodemographic information was obtained from 1,447 teenage adolescents from eight secondary schools. Thereafter, a whole body examination was conducted to determine the presence and types of skin disorders seen. Results: Skin diseases were seen in 929 students. The point prevalence was higher in males (72.1%) than in females (58.3%). Private schools had a higher prevalence than public schools. The six most common dermatoses were acne vulgaris, pityriasis versicolor, nevi, tinea, miliaria, and keloid/hypertrophic scars, and accounted for over 80% of the dermatoses seen. Conclusion: The point prevalence of dermatoses in senior secondary school adolescents was 64.2%. Although a large number of skin disorders were observed, only a handful accounted for a significant proportion of the diseases seen. This increases the ease of training community health workers in the recognition and treatment of common skin diseases. Age, race, and climatic factors are important determinants of skin diseases in adolescents in Nigeria. Keywords: skin diseases, adolescents, Nigeri

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ABstRAct Background: The advent of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs has transformed HIV/AIDS into a chronic manageable disease and strict adherence is required for the medication to be effective. However, factors influencing adherence to ARV therapy (ART) vary from country to country. A f fi l i a t i o n s:

Lymphomas in sub-Saharan Africa - what can we learn and how can we help in improving diagnosis, managing patients and fostering translational research?

Approximately 30000 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) occur in the equatorial belt of Africa each year. Apart from the fact that Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is very common among children and adolescents in Africa and that an epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is currently ongoing in this part of the world, very little is known about lymphomas in Africa. This review provides information regarding the current infrastructure for diagnostics in sub-Saharan Africa. The results on the diagnostic accuracy and on the distribution of different lymphoma subsets in sub-Saharan Africa were based on a review undertaken by a team of lymphoma experts on 159 fine needle aspirate samples and 467 histological samples during their visit to selected sub-Saharan African centres is presented. Among children (<18years of age), BL accounted for 82% of all NHL, and among adults, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma accounted for 55% of all NHLs. Among adults, various lymphomas other than BL, including T-cell lymphomas, were encountered. The review also discusses the current strategies of the International Network of Cancer Treatment and Research on improving the diagnostic standards and management of lymphoma patients and in acquiring reliable clinical and pathology data in sub-Saharan Africa for fostering high-quality translational research