XXXX in an Afro-Caribbean population: a review of demographic and clinical features.

@entity1 @entity8721 @entity2407 @entity358 @entity354 @entity785
OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical and selected demographic features of @entity1 with @entity785 ( @entity785 ) seen over a 10-year period at the Rheumatology service of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados. To compare these data with what is known to obtain in other ethnic populations. DESIGN AND METHODS: A chart review involving all @entity1 who were found to have @entity785 based on the American College of Rheumatology clinical criteria was conducted between 1996 and 2006. RESULTS: Twenty-seven @entity1 with @entity785 were identified in this predominantly Afro-Caribbean population. The prevalent and incident cases numbered 10 and 17 respectively. Twenty-six of these @entity1 were female and the mean age at diagnosis was 37.3 years. Diffuse cutaneous involvement was seen in 63% of cases and limited cutaneous involvement in 37%. The most common clinical features in descending order of frequency were @entity2407 , @entity354 , pigmentary skin changes, digital pitting/ulceration, @entity8721 and @entity358 . CONCLUSION: In a predominantly Afro-Caribbean population, @entity785 was uncommonly seen, had a marked female preponderance and an earlier age of onset than that seen in Caucasian populations. As expected, diffuse disease was the more common subtype and digital pitting, pigmentary skin changes, and @entity358 were amongst the most frequent clinical features. @entity8721 were found more frequently than the literature suggests is typical for @entity1 of African descent.
