Skin diseases in Zambia

Abstract

This is the first report on the incidence of skin diseases in Zambians. A diagnostic analysis of 12,610 patients seen over the past year in the Dermatology Clinic at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, is presented. The common diseases as well as the peculiarities are discussed. The need to develop research centres in various regions of Africa is emphasized in order to provide better insight into the special dermatological problems seen in the black Africans.

Acne e dieta: verdade ou mito?

“…A major study evaluated 2,720 military recruited for obesity and acne and found this association in only two individuals, aged between 20 and 40 years. No association was found among adolescents aged [15][16][17][18][19] years. This suggests that acne, in a younger population, may be associated with other factors besides obesity and insulin resistance.…”

“…As a starting point, to detect the influence of dietary habits in acne vulgaris, there is a tendency to investigate the food habits of non-Western populations since they do not have acne. [17][18][19][20]32 In their diet, there are no processed foods, dairy, sugars and refined oils. Instead, they eat mainly fresh food, fruit, vegetables, meat, chicken, and grilled seafood.…”

“…Instead, they eat mainly fresh food, fruit, vegetables, meat, chicken, and grilled seafood. [17][18][19][20]32 Based on recent scientific reports, a statement has become more and more accepted: there is a lower incidence of acne in non-Western populations. This incidence increases when a Western dietary pattern is adopted.…”

“…17 Other studies with populations from rural villages, such as those living in Kenya, Zambia, and Bantu, in South Africa, concluded that these people had significantly less acne than their descendants who migrated to the United States; in other words, those that became Westernized. [18][19][20] With these epidemiological findings, we can postulate that, contrary to the food habits of these non-Western populations, the frequent consumption of carbohydrates with a high glycemic index can expose adolescents to the risk of acute hyperinsulinemia. This, in turn, influences follicular epithelial growth, keratinization, and sebaceous secretion.…”

Myths and Beliefs of Acne Pathogenesis: Diet, Smoking, Hygiene

“…However, the prevalence of acne became similar to that in Western societies after their acculturation. Surveys of disease in some rural African villages in Kenya [ 17 ], Zambia [ 18 ], and the Bantu in South Africa [ 19 ] report far less acne than is found in the descendants of these areas who now live in the UK or the USA. More convincing is the study conducted on schoolchildren from Purus Valley, a rural region in Brazil [ 20 ].…”