Spectrum of skin diseases in Maroon villages of the Maroni area, French Guiana

Abstract

Background Due to their genetic characteristics and their high exposure to infectious diseases, Maroons are likely to suffer from a specific spectrum of skin diseases. However, skin disorders have never been explored in this population. We aimed to describe all skin diseases in Maroon villages of the Maroni region in French Guiana. Methods This retrospective study concerned all patients who consulted in the remote health centers of Apatou, Grand‐Santi, Papaichton, and Maripasoula between October 5, 2017, and June 30, 2020. We included all patients registered with a skin disorder (International Classification of Diseases) in the medical database. We excluded patients whose diagnosis was invalidated after cross‐checking by a dermatologist. Results A total of 4741 patients presented at least one skin disease, for 6058 different disorders. Nonsexually transmitted infections represented 71.6% of all diagnoses, followed by inflammatory diseases (9.8%) and bites/envenomations (4.6%). The three most frequent conditions were scabies, abscesses, and impetigo. Besides scabies, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) were still prevalent as we reported 13 cases of leprosy and 63 cutaneous leishmaniasis. Atopic dermatitis (AD) represented only 2.5% of our diagnoses. Conclusions With the exception of AD, which was less frequent among Maroons, these results are similar to those previously reported in Amerindians. Therefore, a common exposure to rainforest pathogens seems to induce a common spectrum of skin diseases dominated by infections. The high prevalence of NTDs requires specific public health actions.

Clinical and immunological spectra of human cutaneous leishmaniasis in North Africa and French Guiana

“…*Risk for mucosal involvement is about 6% for L. braziliensis and 1% for L. guyanensis. Reference: North Africa; French Guiana (9,(53)(54)(55)(56)(57).…”

Scabies in French Guiana: Quantitative and qualitative factors associated with therapeutic failure

“…The autochthonous populations (Amerindians and Maroons—descendants of fugitive slaves) mostly live in remote settlements along the Maroni and Oyapock rivers, where they retain their traditional ways of life. They are exposed to a high number of infectious skin diseases 14,15 . Most teenagers benefit from secondary education, though about a third of them drop out of school and practice hunting‐gathering and agriculture with their parents.…”

“…They are exposed to a high number of infectious skin diseases. 14,15 Most teenagers benefit from secondary education, though about a third of them drop out of school and practice hunting-gathering and agriculture with their parents. Marriage usually happens around the age of 18.…”

Zoonotic parasites with significant importance for tropical dermatology

“…Myiasis is considered a differential diagnosis of skin diseases in tropical poor communities due to bad hygiene and poor housing conditions [10,11] . However, human myiasis may also occur in countries with enhanced hygiene, as reported from New York [12] , and in France [13] . Notably, in temperate countries, myiasis occurs in summer when fly breeding is at its maximum [14] .…”