A note on dermatitis cruris pustulosa et atrophicans

Change in pattern of skin disease in Kaduna, north‐central Nigeria

“…Dermatitis cruris pustulosa et atrophicans, also known as Nigerian shin disease, 30 a distinctive skin disease first described by Clarke in 1952, 31 and characterized by pustular folliculitis, cutaneous edema, scale formation, atrophy, loss of skin markings, and shiny skin symmetrically affecting the front of the legs in young people, has declined in incidence in Kaduna, and probably also in Ibadan and Enugu, where no mention of the condition has been made in recent reports. We saw only 24 patients with this condition over the study period, compared with 222 patients seen by Fekete 30 years ago 8 .…”

Dermatitis Cruris Pustulosa et Atrophicans: Scarring Alopecia Beyond Scalp Hair

“…The reported prevalence varies between 0.4 and 4.8% [6,7,14,26], 3-4% in south India and 2.9% in Sri Lanka [22]. However, data should be regarded as an estimated mirror of incidence [1][2][3][4][5][6]11] in the community, as only hospital-based data (outpatient clinics) are available. No definite cases of DCPA outside the tropical humid climates have been described after Miller's [10] original report in 1961 in North America, particularly in Europe (Table 1).…”

“…DCPA is nowadays regarded as a type of chronic folliculitis often limited to the lower limbs of young adults, mostly in the second to third decades. Sex predilection has varied from male to absent (Table 1) [1][2][3][4][5][6]11]. Duration varies from a few months to 22 years, with most reports around 1-2 years [6,11].…”

“…Bleeding, pain, burning sensation, oozing, and scaling are less common symptoms. In addition, nutritional and hygiene status are usually adequate [1][2][3][4][5][6]11].…”

“…Dermatitis Cruris Pustulosa et Atrophicans (DCPA) was first described in 1952 by Clarke [1], who reported chronic symmetric pustules in the legs of dark-skinned individuals in west Nigeria. Subsequently, in the following decades, several cases have been recognized in tropical regions of Asia and Africa [1][2][3][4][5], and efforts to unravel the etiopathogenesis of this complex and difficultto-treat chronic entity have been made. This condition was later reviewed by Kaimal et al [6].…”